IOF Practices in Ofer Prison Expose their True Criminal Face

Hamas released a statement on Wednesday saying that the released footage revealing the assault and mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners in Ofer Prison, which was carried out under the direct orders of Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, “exposes the true criminal nature of this Nazi occupier.”

The movement emphasized that the oppression, torture, deprivation, and medical neglect faced by prisoners in detention, which has resulted in their martyrdom, amount to war crimes and blatant violations of all norms and laws regarding the treatment of prisoners of war.

In this context, Hamas said that “broadcasting these scenes, coinciding with the first anniversary of the Battle of the Al-Aqsa Flood, is a futile effort to create a distraction from the occupation’s failures and its diminished prestige, as well as the humiliation and defeat inflicted by our brave resistance.”

The movement urged the people of the occupied West Bank to intensify their efforts in support of the prisoners, calling for action across various fields to advocate for their rights and secure their release.

Palestinian prisoners’ organizations released a detailed report on the conditions of prisoners in occupation prisons after a year of their detention, stating that 40 of them had been killed due to systematic torture.

UN: ‘Detainees forced into cages, attacked by dogs’

Late last month, an internal report by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) details the violence against Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention centers, such as beatings, attacks by canines, extended use of stress positions, and sexual assault.

Based on interviews of over 1,000 Palestinian detainees released at the Karem Abu Salem crossing point since December, in the presence of UNRWA staff, the report said that there were 29 children as young as six (26 boys and three girls), 80 women, and 21 UNRWA staff, some of whom had chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s or cancer. 

“Detainees reported being taken on trucks to large makeshift ‘military barracks’ housing 100-120 people each, where they were held, often for weeks at a time, in between periods of interrogation at a nearby location,” the UNRWA document said.

“Methods of ill-treatment reported included physical beatings, forced stress positions for extended periods of time, threats of harm to detainees and their families, attacks by dogs, insults to personal dignity and humiliation such as being made to act like animals or getting urinated on, use of loud music and noises, deprivation of water, food, sleep and toilets, denial of the right to practice their religion (to pray) and prolonged use of tightly locked handcuffs causing open wounds and friction injuries.”

“While in an off-site location, several individuals reported being forced into cages and attacked by dogs, with some individuals including a child exhibiting dog bite wounds on release.”

“The beatings included blunt force trauma to the head, shoulders, kidneys, neck, back and legs with metal bars and the butts of guns and boots, in some cases resulting in broken ribs, separated shoulders and lasting injuries,” the report added.