Israeli institution admits to starving Palestinian prisoners.
Palestinian security detainees have been held in extremely difficult conditions since October 2023, with many suffering from severe hunger, according to an audit published this week by Israel’s Public Defender’s Office.
The report, which examines the treatment of detainees suspected of both public and security crimes, highlights the worsening conditions for both groups. The population of Israel’s prisons has increased sharply since the start of the two-year war with Hamas.
Key details from the Public Defender’s report
Conditions for security detainees are particularly harsh, according to the report. The detainees face meager rations, regular beatings by guards and unsanitary conditions that have allowed disease to spread rapidly in the small, crowded cells.
The investigators who wrote the report visited 43 detention centers in 2023 and 2024. The report is a rare example of an official Israeli government body exposing such conditions.
The Rigors: Starvation, Lice, and Beatings
Immediately after the war, Israeli prisons issued an order that suspended almost all normal peacetime activities for security prisoners. These restrictions included a ban on making phone calls, visiting family or Red Cross representatives, leaving the cell (except for one hour a day), and possessing personal items such as books or family photos.
Hunger: Inspectors reported “a feeling of extreme hunger” among prisoners. They observed that many prisoners appeared “very thin,” “in some cases to an extreme degree.” The food rations in practice were even less than the reduced official menu, and sometimes included uncooked rice or rotten vegetables.