Israeli torture: Urinating on Palestinian prisoners, burying them alive and beating the sick

Recently, hundreds of imprisoned Palestinians were released following a prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel. The released individuals recounted the inhumane treatment they endured in Israeli prisons, with some descriptions being shocking and exposing the torture inflicted on Palestinian prisoners by Israeli authorities.

According to the released prisoners, Israeli prison guards would wrap detained Palestinians in burial shrouds and then bury them alive. Just as the prisoner was about to suffocate to death, the guards would allow a small amount of air to enter, sustaining their life, before repeating the live burial process again. This torture was just one of the many forms of torment inflicted on Palestinian prisoners by Israeli authorities.

Mahmoud Ismail Abu Hattab, 41, described the circumstances of his arrest. On October 20, 2024, near the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, an Israeli military quadcopter hovered in the air, broadcasting orders for "nearby residents to surrender." Abu Hattab recalled: "While they were broadcasting this information to intimidate us, they were shooting at houses and balconies, and bombing nearby houses. That's when they arrested us."

Abu Hattab stated that the torture began from the moment of arrest and continued until the last moment before his release. "They treated us like animals, not humans," he said. Before being transferred to prison, the prisoners were taken to a place resembling a livestock farm in Gaza. There, they were forced to endure cold nights, wearing only underwear and thin white clothing.

Abu Hattab also described his experiences at the notorious Sde Teiman military detention camp. There, he was handcuffed for nearly two months. "It's a torture camp for men," he said. "They forced us to sit from dawn to midnight, without moving, and we could only use the toilet with permission, and with our hands cuffed. Sometimes the officers allowed it, sometimes they didn't, and many detainees ended up urinating on themselves."

According to Abu Hattab's recollection, one of the most harrowing torture methods at Sde Teiman was deceiving prisoners into believing they would be drowned or suffocated to death. "They would put a prisoner in a burial shroud connected to a hose with a small camera, bury him in a pit, and then monitor him through the camera," he explained. "Once he was on the verge of complete suffocation, believing he was about to die, the guards would allow a small amount of air to enter to sustain his life."

Abu Hattab recalled that one of the most unforgettable moments in prison was witnessing the torture and death of Musaab Haniyeh, the nephew of former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Musaab died in January at Ofer Prison after suffering "brutal torture" that left him physically weak and with leg injuries. Abu Hattab said: "The officers did not provide him with any medical assistance, and eventually his wounds began to fester with maggots, and he lost control of his bladder."

Another released prisoner, 63-year-old Ibrahim Abdel-Razzaq Magidalawi, stated that Israeli officers "showed no mercy, whether you were 16 or 60 years old." Despite Magidalawi's advanced age, he was still subjected to torture, humiliation, and relentless reprimands by young Israeli soldiers. He said: "When we arrived at Sde Teiman, they stripped us of all our clothes, even our underwear, despite the cold weather and heavy rain. Then, they gave us thin clothes."

Another resident of northern Gaza Strip, 62, who was detained at Sde Teiman for three months, requested anonymity because the Israeli army threatened to persecute him if he spoke to the media. The retired teacher said he was detained in November after Israeli forces bombed his home, and he and his daughter were injured. He suffers from diabetes, prostate problems, and cartilage disease, and during his three months in prison, the elderly man fainted about 15 times. "Every time I fainted, they would unlock my handcuffs and pour cold water on my face. When I woke up, they would give me about 30-60 minutes to fully regain consciousness, and then handcuff me again and continue the abuse."

The released prisoners stated that part of the torture involved forcing them to sit in painful positions for 19 hours a day. "For nearly three months, they forced us to get up around 5 a.m. every day and made us sit in an extremely tiring and painful position until midnight. In the morning, they would violently hit our cages with metal, forcing us to wake up in fear."