By, Sarra Jmal: Department of International Relations and Strategic Affairs 17/07/2024   

Introduction:

“May God help those detainees being interrogated by Israel’s internal security service. Tortured, battered, and our genitals beaten. Verbally and physically abused, only God knows. For God’s sake, set them free and release them from that hell.”  On Monday, July 1, Faraj al-Samouni, a Palestinian prisoner released from the Zionist regime, stated these words.

Among the countless atrocities committed by the colonial regime of Israel in occupied Palestine, there is one that is rarely discussed: The brutality of Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners, depriving them of the most elementary rights guaranteed by International Conventions. These prisoners are compelled to endure conditions of incarceration that are highly undignified, harsh, and aggressive.

The Zionist prison system: oppression, violence and torture

As of the start of July, the human rights NGO reported that the number of prisoners and detainees in the occupation prisons had reached approximately 9,700. Also, it was mentioned that 3,380 administrative detainees are being held without charge, 250 children, about 80 female prisoners, including two pregnant women, and Eighty-eight journalists were also arrested, 52 of whom remain in detention, including six female journalists and 15 journalists from Gaza.

For the entirety of the Zionist regime’s history, the practice of torturing Palestinian prisoners has been consistent and systematic. Since the colonizer’s state was established in 1948, Palestinian detainees have faced a diverse range of severe physical and psychological abuses, which violate international human rights standards.

Israel operates 30 prisons managed by the Israel Prison Service (IPS), detention to hold individuals without charge or trial, primarily for “security reasons.  Famously, “Sde Teiman” in the Negev desert, and the military bases “Anto”’ and “Ofer” in the occupied West Bank. In addition to the official prisons, Israel operates a network of secret detention centers, some of which are even located outside of Israel, such as a facility in Europe. But also, there have been reports and allegations of secret detention facilities, such as the so-called “Facility 1391”.

Facility “1391” has been airbrushed from Israeli aerial photographs and purged from modern maps. A blank space has taken place where a police station once stood.  If you ask the Palestinians and Lebanese who were imprisoned and tortured there, they will recount the horror they experienced. 

“Manal Hazzan,” a human rights lawyer who contributed to the disclosure of the prison’s existence, says “Our main conclusion is that it exists to make torture possible, a particular kind of torture that creates progressive states of dread, dependency, debility.” This facility has been compared to the notorious Guantanamo Bay by various sources, including the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.

The Israeli Defense Forces were accused of killing young Palestinian prisoners and harvesting their organs, which was reported by “Aftonbladet,” Sweden’s largest newspaper in 2009, creating controversy. The article connected these claims to a New Jersey organ trafficking ring, which suggests an international conspiracy between the Israeli government and the military.

Tales from the Occupation Cells: Stories of Suffering and Survival

Like their male counterparts, female Palestinian prisoners are held in various facilities, including “Hasharon” Prison and “Damon” Prison, which have been criticized for their conditions. Women who have been arrested in these prisons have frequently faced violence, torture, strip searches, sexual harassment, and rape threats.

In testimony, a female prisoner who chose not to reveal her identity out of fear for her life stated: “Three women guards treated me very brutally and humiliatingly. 

They insulted me with the worst words all the time without stopping, forced me to walk while my limbs were restrained and with a blindfold over my eyes, and during my transfer, one woman guard kept saying, ‘This is not your country. Leave!'”

According to a statement provided by N.H.,a 45-year-old resident of the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City, to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. 

She experienced multiple strip searches in public, with male soldiers present, and a female soldier insulted her, spat on her, and made remarks about her body while she was undressing. N.H. was detained for 11 days inside what she said resembled a cage for animals. After being held in a cage for four days, the recently released woman affirmed that she was questioned once more and threatened with not being able to see her kids again if she did not cooperate with the Israeli investigators.

 She also noted that she was verbally harassed by both male and female soldiers, who photographed her with their mobile phones to record her torture. 

They threatened to rape her and prevent her from seeing her kids if she disobeyed their orders to film videos attacking Hamas.

The freed prisoner, “Samir Abdullah Jamal Murjan,” confirmed that he was subjected to severe beatings, electric shocks, insults, and an attempt to inject him with unknown substances.

 He said: “Every day we were brutally tortured, including beatings and insults, in addition to using dogs to attack and intimidate us and using electricity to torture us. In Ashkelon Prison, the situation was worse. I was in a solitary cell and spent 12 days without food. During the interrogation, they used electric shocks to obtain confessions and asked us about Hamas and the tunnels. I would be beaten when I said I did not know because I am a civilian and had no knowledge of other matters. Attacks and brutal torture accompanied the interrogation, and we were subjected to interrogation every ten days.”

He added, “I refused to be injected with substances, and because of that, I was beaten and tortured with electricity. The torture continued throughout the detention period. Yesterday, because I was late in the bathroom, one of the officers came and electrocuted me, and the effects of that are still present in my body. Even the bathroom is calculated at a specific time, so if you are late for more than 4 minutes, you will be exposed to electricity. I was surprised when they told me that I would be released, and I could not sleep from joy.”

“Mustafa,” another survivor, is not sure why the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) picked him up. He stated, “They did a surgery and opened my chest to suck the blood out. I spent 12 days in the ICU. They would come with dogs on a leash and let them pee on us. They would feed us with rotten bread; it was rotten bread, sometimes a rotten tomato. For lunch and dinner, it was bread only. I was so drained; I could not eat anything. They gave us salted water; we were begging for fresh water.”

The testimonies represent the tip of the iceberg. Countless other stories have been lost, as numerous prisoners never made it out alive, leaving their loved ones still searching for answers.

Resilience Rises in the Shadows of Zionist Prisons:

In the early years of the Zionist occupation, hunger strikes began as a form of Palestinian resistance. Over time, they have evolved into a powerful tool for Palestinian prisoners, garnering international attention and solidarity. 

In April 2017, over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners participated in the ‘Dignity Strike’ or ‘Freedom and Dignity Strike,’ a mass hunger strike led by “Marwan Barghouti.”

During this 40-day strike, Palestinian prisoners from various factions united, receiving widespread support from Palestinians and international activists. The strike demonstrated how hunger strikes can be used collectively to challenge the Israeli prison system. 

“Marwan Barghouti,” an influential Palestinian political figure and leader, spearheaded the strike, demanding improved prison conditions, including better medical care, an end to solitary confinement, and more frequent family visits. Barghouti was jailed in 2002 and sentenced to multiple life sentences for his role in organizing resistance activities during the Second Intifada. Barghouti’s imprisonment doesn’t stop him from advocating for Palestinian rights loudly and being a symbol of occupation resistance. He has taken part in various hunger strikes and is still inspiring Palestinians with his unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom and independence.

In addition, The act of smuggling sperm stands as a powerful symbol of Palestinian resilience and determination in the face of oppression and torture. Despite being isolated by physical and political barriers, this act of resistance not only challenges the oppressive conditions imposed by the Israeli regime but also embodies the persistence and hope that Palestinians uphold the occupation. It demonstrates their unwavering commitment to maintaining family ties, cultural identity, and life continuity, even when faced with the most challenging circumstances. 

Many stories of resistance from within the prison cells inspire generations to continue the journey toward freedom.

Conclusion:

For almost a century, the Zionist prison system’s brutality has remained, with conditions worsening over time. Despite the international community generally looking the other way, the will of Palestinian prisoners has not decreased. Even within these hellish cells, resistance to freedom rises.