In an interview with “Jisr” podcast, Palestinian lawyer Khaled Mahajneh exposed horrific abuses inside Israeli detention centers, especially at Sde Teiman. These crimes include rape with objects, rape by dogs, and unnecessary amputations without anesthesia.
Mahajneh, from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, was the first Palestinian attorney to visit Sde Teiman in June 2024. He shared shocking testimonies from his client, journalist Mohammad Arab, who endured 100 days of isolation before gaining legal access.
According to Arab, Israeli female soldiers raped detainees in front of others. Mahajneh, hardened by years of experience with Israeli prisons, said the horrors at Sde Teiman were “beyond description.”
At Sde Teiman, Israeli soldiers operate with impunity. One elderly detainee was stripped naked by young male and female soldiers, shackled, raped, and laughed at during the assault.
The camp has no rooms—only open-air spaces. Each detainee is chained inside a small area, forbidden to move, regardless of heat or cold. Detainees are forced to watch torture sessions.
Many lost limbs after Israeli doctors amputated them without anesthesia. Prolonged shackling caused flesh to rot and bones to pierce the skin. Detainees were forbidden from screaming, crying, or showing pain.
“You smell your own blood while blindfolded, surrounded by silent witnesses,” Mahajneh said.
Israeli soldiers routinely humiliate detainees, torch Qurans, and assault detainees with batons, guns, and fire extinguishers. They rape detainees by forcefully inserting hoses into their bodies and pumping chemicals inside.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has not visited a single Palestinian detainee since October 7, 2023.
After months of legal battles, Israel allowed limited visits—only to civilians from Gaza. Women detainees remain completely isolated.
Israel categorizes Gaza detainees into two groups: “civilians” and an alleged “elite unit” of 350–400 detainees. The second group is hidden inside a secret underground prison called Rakevet, with no trials, no lawyers, and no visibility. Their fate is unknown and no one knows anything about them.
To this day, no Gaza detainee has been charged or tried, according to Mahajneh.
It took Mahajneh two months of legal battles to finally meet Mohammad Arab. When they met, Arab was barely recognizable—dragged by the neck, handcuffed, blindfolded, and wearing filthy clothes. He had been told that no one knew he existed and that he would die inside detention.
Arab’s wrists showed deep wounds where shackles had eaten into his flesh, exposing bone. He wore a blue wristband stamped with a number. “Detainees are only numbers,” Arab said.
Despite knowing he could be punished, Arab insisted the world must hear the truth. Israeli forces abducted him from Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, stripped him, crammed him into a large truck, and dumped him at Sde Teiman without any explanation.
Bathroom visits were limited to once daily. Showers were allowed once a week for exactly one minute. Exceeding the time limit meant brutal punishment—either standing for 8–10 hours on one foot or savage beatings. Repeated “offenses” led to rape as punishment.
Mahajneh also revealed a new prison: “Naftali” in northern Israel. It holds Syrian and Lebanese detainees, including a 14-year-old Syrian boy from Quneitra who has been imprisoned since May 2024 without charges, labeled an “unlawful combatant.”
Israel brands all Gaza detainees as “unlawful combatants”—a legal loophole created by a 2002 law to allow indefinite detention without charges.
Conditions at Ofer Prison are equally monstrous. Israeli forces built two torture chambers there, named “Hell Room” and “Doom Room.”
At Ofer, detainees are stripped, pinned to the ground, and raped by trained dogs.
Mahajneh met 16-year-old Ismail Al-Sayfi from Gaza. He had been held at Sde Teiman, then transferred to Megiddo Prison. His family did not know he was alive for an entire year. Ismail wore the same filthy clothes for that entire year.
Since Mahajneh’s last meeting with Arab at Ofer, Israeli authorities have banned him from visiting his client again.
Israel tightly controls all information about Gaza detainees. Estimates suggest between 3,000 and 3,500 people are held. According to Arab, dozens of detainees have died under torture. Mahajneh believes mass graves exist at Sde Teiman.
The fate of Gaza’s detained doctors remains unknown. Mahajneh warned that Israel could assassinate them inside detention centers without accountability.
When Mahajneh presented evidence of abuse to Israeli judges—including a female judge—the courts ignored it and punished the detainee for speaking out. Many detainees remain silent, terrified of retaliation.
In one case, Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian citizen of Israel simply for dreaming about shooting at a police station.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a genocide against the Palestinian people. Entire neighborhoods in Gaza have been leveled, thousands of civilians killed, and entire families erased. Also, thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children were taken as hostages. Rights groups estimate that Israel continues to hold over 10,000 Palestinians in detention centres, keeping them as bargaining chip for future deals with the resistance.
