Electroshocks & Starvation: Escalating Torture of Palestinian Political Prisoners by the Israeli Occupation’s Prison System

November 27, 2025

Briefing by the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society & the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs based on lawyers’ visits conducted during November 2025

Ramallah, occupied Palestine - The Israeli occupation’s apparatus of brutality continues to commit serious crimes against Palestinian political prisoners – forming another facet of the ongoing genocide in occupied Gaza. Acts of torture, abuse, starvation, and severe assault persist at unprecedented levels since the start of the genocide.

Lawyers of the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society carried out dozens of visits to political prisoners during the month of November 2025, and prepared this report, which includes testimonies, on the horrific maltreatment and overall conditions for detainees.

The prisons that were visited include: the Naqab, Ofer, Damon, Shatta, Megiddo, Gilboa, Ofer Camp (Gilad), Janout (formerly Ramon and Nafha) as well as the Rakevet underground section of Ramla Prison. The two organizations documented an escalation in the scale of attacks—particularly through the use of electric shocks, rubber-coated bullets, and the exploitation of injuries suffered by the wounded – further torturing them by denying them medical treatment.

This briefing comes at a time when the occupation is seeking, at an accelerated pace, to legalize the execution of Palestinian prisoners—one of the most dangerous legislative proposals it has attempted to impose throughout its history.

Full report in English below👇🏽

Electroshocks & Starvation: Escalating Torture of Palestinian Political
Prisoners by the Israeli Occupation’s Prison System
Briefing by the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs based on lawyers’ visits conducted during November 2025
Published November 27, 2025
Ramallah, occupied Palestine - The Israeli occupation’s apparatus of brutality continues to commit serious crimes against Palestinian political prisoners – forming another facet of the ongoing genocide in occupied Gaza. Acts of torture, abuse, starvation, and severe assault persist at unprecedented levels since the start of the genocide.
Lawyers of the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society carried out dozens of visits to political prisoners during the month of November 2025, and prepared this report on the horrific maltreatment and overall conditions for detainees.
The prisons that were visited include: the Naqab, Ofer, Damon, Shatta, Megiddo, Gilboa, Ofer Camp (Gilad), Janout (formerly Ramon and Nafha) as well as the Rakevet underground section of Ramla Prison. The two organizations documented an escalation in the scale of attacks— particularly through the use of electric shocks, rubber-coated bullets, and the exploitation of injuries suffered by the wounded – further torturing them by denying them medical treatment.
Diseases continue to rise, and the general health conditions and immunity of the prisoners continue to deteriorate, with the renewed spread of Scabies skin disease in several prisons and the registration of hundreds of new cases.
This briefing comes at a time when the occupation is seeking, at an accelerated pace, to legalize the execution of Palestinian prisoners—one of the most dangerous legislative proposals it has attempted to impose throughout its history. Today, in the context of the ongoing genocide inside the prisons, and as part of a series of legislations targeting Palestinian existence, the occupation—which for many decades has carried out extrajudicial executions through various policies, including slow killing that has affected hundreds of prisoners and detainees—is working to formalize and officially legalize executions.
Gilad Military Camp in Ofer Prison: Widespread Use of Electro-Shocking
The recently established Gilad Military Camp within Ofer prison, holds more than 120 newly detained Palestinian political prisoners. Detainees held there face harsh detention conditions and systematic abuse. Detainee testimonies showed that electro-shocking has become a primary tool used to torture them.
In one testimony, a detainee reported that another prisoner was electroshocked after prison forces saw him leading other detainees in prayer inside the room. Other detainees also reported being subjected to physical attacks, electric shocks, and abuse because some prisoners stood near the barred windows inside the cells in an attempt to breathe some air. They described electric shocking as one of the harshest and most severe methods used against them.
Among other forms of abuse practiced against detainees is forcing them to sleep on “alabraash”—beds made of iron bars over which very thin mattresses are placed, causing harm to their bodies. For this reason, most prisoners prefer to sleep on the floor; however, with the arrival of winter and the intensifying cold at night, their suffering has increased. It is worth noting that the camp administration removes blankets and mattresses during the morning inspection at 6am, preventing the prisoners from sitting or lying down until 10pm at night.
The detainees also indicated that the “head-count”, or what is called the security check, is exploited as a tool of abuse, during which they are forced to kneel on the ground and raise their hands above their heads until the procedure is over.
All detainees reported suffering from hunger, as they are given food that is inedible and often spoiled.
During their transfer to lawyers’ visits, detainees are brought handcuffed and shackled, forced to place their cuffed hands above their heads, blindfolded, and required to keep their heads lowered.
The “Rakevet” Underground Section of Ramla Prison
The testimonies of Palestinians abducted from occupied Gaza remain the harshest and most severe since the beginning of the genocide, based on dozens of visits carried out in several prisons and camps.
Three meals are provided consisting of only small, minimal portions. Mattresses are distributed only from 11pm to 4am, and during the daytime detainees are forced to sit on the iron bars of the beds. Collective prayer is prohibited and only individual prayer is allowed. Possession of the Qur’an is not permitted.
Beatings and repression by special prison forces continue, and during the recreation period detainees are shackled and forbidden from lifting their heads. Verbal insults and degradation are constant, along with ongoing threats—especially before they are taken to lawyers’ visits, during which they are forbidden from speaking about what occurs inside the section or about the abuses they face. They are also prevented from receiving any information about what is happening outside the prison.
Testimonies of Palestinians Abducted from occupied Gaza Held in “Rakevet”:
Detainee (A.M.):
“I was arrested at the checkpoint while passing from Khan Younis toward Al-Mawasi. I was interrogated in the field and beaten. Although I have cancer, they continued to detain me and transferred me to the barracks with dozens of other prisoners. Later, I was moved to Asqalan Prison, where I underwent interrogation about five times. After the interrogation ended, I was transferred to the Rakevet section, where I remain held to this day without receiving any treatment or medical care.”
Detainee (N.R.):
“I was arrested in December 2023 in Jabalia. I was not subjected to field interrogation; I was taken directly to the barracks. There, I underwent military interrogation for eight consecutive days, during which I was subjected to shabeh (stress positions) and beatings—specifically the ‘banana’ position—as well as the ‘disco’ interrogation method. Then I was transferred to
Asqalan Prison in April 2024 and interrogated again for 25 days. Later, I was moved to the Rakevet section. Today I suffer from chest pain due to the beatings I endured during my transfer to the section.”
Detainee (M.N.):
“I was arrested in November 2023 at the Netzarim checkpoint. I was interrogated in the field for hours and beaten. Then I was taken to the barracks, where I was tortured. I was taken and tied in a stress position to the fence for nearly an hour (shabeh). Later, I was transferred to the Ofer cells and subjected to continuous military interrogation, during which they used shabeh, beatings, and the ‘banana’ position, which caused a fracture in my back. Afterward, my statement was taken and I was moved to the ‘asafeer’ section (informants). Two days later, I was placed in solitary confinement, where I was tortured and threatened. Due to the continuous handcuffing, my hands changed color, and today I suffer from impaired vision and constant back pain resulting from the fracture.”
Naqab Prison: One of the Worst Central Prisons; Atrocities Intensifying
Naqab Prison remains one of the central facilities where horrifying testimonies and torture practices have been documented, and where several detainees have died. More than two years into the Gaza genocide, the catastrophic reality inside the prison is only getting worse— including systematic repression by prison special forces termed “Keter” - as well as the firing of rubber-coated bullets at detainees inside their cells and during their time in the prison yard.
In addition, the spread of scabies has continued, turning into yet another tool of torture and mistreatment within the prison system. Cases have risen sharply, to the point where they can no longer be counted. Even when legal teams succeed in securing a decision to transfer sick prisoners to the clinic, the occupation’s prison administration only provides a superficial service and forces the detainees to sign papers stating they received treatment, while in reality they receive no medical care and instead face humiliation and abuse during the transfer process.
Once again, prisoners confirmed the continuation of systematic abuse during the “security check – headcount,” in which they are forced to kneel, place their hands above their heads, and lower their heads downward. Each prisoner is also required to sit in a small designated space inside the cell and is beaten and abused if he exceeds it.
Prisoners recounted one recent repression operation that was carried out after a plastic wrapper was found inside one of the cells—detainees were assaulted, beaten, and denied access to the prison yard. Their suffering has worsened with the arrival of winter and the intensifying cold, especially at night, as the administration continues to deprive them of blankets and adequate clothing.
As for the crime of starvation, it continues to escalate, with further reductions in the already minimal food portions. Despite the occupation’s High Court ruling that the food provided to prisoners must be reassessed, the prison system has disregarded the decision altogether and has in fact reduced food quantities even further.
Ofer Prison: Widespread Outbreak of Scabies and Escalating Raids
During November, dozens of prisoners were visited in Ofer Prison, one of the main facilities holding thousands of political prisoners and detainees. According to numerous testimonies, the spread of Scabies is a central issue, especially after it widely infected even the section allocated for child prisoners.
Despite the occupation’s prison administration’s claim that it provides treatment consisting of an ointment and a pill, the reality is entirely different. A single tube of ointment distributed to dozens of prisoners does not constitute real treatment, as each prisoner needs more than one tube to receive adequate care. With the infection spreading across their bodies and causing boils, prisoners can no longer stand, move, or sleep.
The outbreak at this scale is linked to a series of other oppressive policies, including:
• Depriving prisoners of adequate amounts of clothing
• Depriving them of hygenic products both individually and for the cell
• Weakened immunity resulting from the crime of starvation
• Lack of exposure to fresh air or sunlight
• Continued confinement in overcrowded cells

Beyond diseases, physical attacks do not stop. Systematic raids and searches continue, during which rubber-coated bullets are fired and police dogs are used. In November, one of the cells was subjected to a raid after the administration discovered that prisoners possessed plastic bags they had used to cover the barred, open windows due to the severe cold.

Details relayed by three prisoners in lawyers’ visits:

• One child detainee suffers from severe chest pain as a result of repeated repression operations targeting children, accompanied by beatings, stun grenades, and police dogs.
• Another detainee reported that October 2025 witnessed a significant escalation in repression operations, during which prisoners were beaten with batons and shot with rubber-coated bullets. Repression forces deliberately carry out their assaults during the morning count.
• The third detainee said that due to the pressure and harsh conditions of detention, he has begun experiencing repeated seizures during which he loses consciousness—even losing consciousness while being transported to a court hearing. Recently, these seizures have been occurring at least three times a week, leaving him with severe pain in his limbs.
Megiddo, Gilboa, Shatta, and Janout Prisons
All testimonies of detainees in these prisons indicated new cases of scabies, along with the prison administration’s deliberate reduction of food portions and the continuation of repression and assaults. The most striking development in these prisons, however, is the rise in medical cases; most of those visited suffer from health problems and require urgent treatment, especially the wounded.
Prisoner (D.N.) sustained a head injury two months before his arrest and suffered significant damage to his face. He was supposed to undergo eye surgery before being detained, but this never happened. Today, he suffers from severe pain, and a piece of shrapnel remains lodged in his head that must be removed. Like thousands of others, he is denied treatment despite repeated appeals.
Prisoner (M.R.) suffers from an injury to his foot by occupation forces during a previous arrest. When he was re-arrested in 2023, he was assaulted, causing the metal plates placed in his feet to break. He now suffers from intense pain, yet the prison administration refuses to provide treatment or even conduct an examination to assess the damage caused by the assault.
Prisoner (A.D.) had previously been injured by gunfire in his foot and was supposed to undergo bone graft surgery, but the prison system denied him this medical care. He now suffers from severe, continuous pain and relies on a crutch to move. His suffering intensified after the prison administration confiscated the crutch from him.
These testimonies clearly show how the prison system uses prisoners’ injuries and medical needs as tools of abuse and torture by denying them treatment.
It is also noted that large-scale transfers have affected hundreds of prisoners, especially from Megiddo Prison to Naqab Prison.
In Janout Prison, one of the prisoners who was visited was violently assaulted while being taken to a visit; he was severely beaten, insulted, and shackled in a manner that tormented him.
Damon Prison (Females only)
More than 50 female prisoners are currently held in Damon Prison, including one from Gaza and two girls. The women prisoners, like all other prisoners, continue to face a series of systematic abuses, including repeated repression, strip-searches, beatings, as well as systematic deprivation of basic necessities.
The women’s testimonies focused heavily on the urgent need for healthcare, especially with the presence of serious medical cases, most notably prisoner Fidaa Assaf, who suffers from cancer, and another newly-detained prisoner who also has cancer, Suheir Al-Za’aqiq, who was recently arrested from Beit Ummar/Hebron during the large-scale arrest campaign carried out in the town.
Many of the women also spoke of the harsh and oppressive conditions they faced during the interrogation period before being transferred to Damon Prison, with some undergoing interrogation for over a month. Their special needs constituted one of the main issues they raised, including the severe shortage of sanitary pads, as well as their need for a gynecologist to follow up on numerous health problems that have worsened due to the harsh detention conditions and weakened immunity resulting from starvation.
In their testimonies, female prisoners also expressed the severe psychological challenges they face under the oppressive isolation conditions—one of the most dangerous and harmful policies affecting their mental health. This burden is only compounded by the ongoing denial of family visits, especially for imprisoned mothers who were torn from their homes and deprived of their children.
It is noted that the vast majority of the women are detained on charges the occupation labels as “incitement,” in addition to several who are held under administrative detention.
Data on Palestinian Political Prisoners in November 2025
As of November 2025, the number of Palestinian political prisoners and detainees held in the Israeli occupation’s prisons exceeds 9,250 people, the majority of whom are detainees awaiting trial and ‘administrative detainees’ (those denied trial or formal charges). This figure does not include detainees held in military camps under the authority of the occupying army and not the central prison system.
• According to figures announced by the Israeli Prison Service up to November 2025, the number of sentenced prisoners reached 1,242 people.
• At least 50 Palestinian women, including one from Gaza, are held behind bars.
• At least 350 Palestinian children are held in Ofer and Megiddo prisons.
• At least 3,368 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank are held without trial or charge also known as “administrative detainees.”
• The number of detainees abducted from occupied Gaza and are held under the “unlawful combatants” law has reached 1,205 people, noting that this figure does not include all Gaza detainees held in army-run camps who fall under this classification. This category also includes Arab detainees from Lebanon and Syria.
• The occupation acknowledged that 94 Palestinian prisoners have been martyred in its prison system and military camps up to August 2025. Detainees institutions have documented and identified 81 of those people. With four additional detainees announced killed after August, this means the number of prisoners who were killed in custody exceeds 100 people.
Key Demands:
• States must comply with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and activate its findings regarding the illegality of the occupation, and to demand the immediate dismantling of the military court system.
• The Independent International Commission of Inquiry established by the Human Rights Council must investigate all abuses against prisoners and detainees, including torture, extrajudicial killings, field executions, and sexual violence, and to hold those responsible accountable under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
• States must condemn and act against the proposed law to execute prisoners, as it effectively legalizes extrajudicial execution; International action must halt these draft laws and hold those responsible accountable.
• The crimes committed by the occupation must be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as war crimes and crimes against humanity, and ensuring that perpetrators do not escape accountability.
• Activating universal jurisdiction against those responsible for violations, including political, security, and administrative leaders, as well as members of the Knesset who vote for discriminatory laws.
• Imposing sanctions on and boycotting the occupyping state.
• Enabling specialized international bodies—including the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN Special Rapporteurs—to access prisons without restrictions and to receive testimonies in a safe and transparent manner.
(ENDS)