Pressure is mounting on Israel over the treatment of Palestinian detainees held in its prison system following the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, as allegations of physical abuse, inadequate medical care, starvation and sexual violence continue to emerge from former prisoners, human rights organizations and official oversight bodies. The issue has become an increasingly prominent source of domestic and international scrutiny as Israel faces broader criticism over its conduct during the ongoing conflict.
This feature is based on reporting by The Wall Street Journal, which examined prison conditions through interviews with former detainees, court records, medical reports, official statements and findings from Israeli and international organizations.
According to the report, conditions inside Israeli prisons changed dramatically after Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages. At Lavi prison, formerly known as Ketziot, in Israel’s Negev Desert, former prisoners recalled a power outage on the day of the attack that they later came to view as the beginning of a new phase in prison policy. In the months that followed, thousands of additional Palestinians were detained during Israeli military operations linked to the war, significantly increasing the prison population.
Auditors from Israel’s Ministry of Justice and United Nations agencies later reported that detainees had been subjected to beatings, particularly during searches and transfers, while autopsy findings in several deaths pointed to signs of physical assault, medical neglect and malnutrition. Doctors and rights organizations also documented allegations of sexual violence involving detainees.
The Wall Street Journal interviewed twelve Palestinians released from Israeli detention since 2024, most of them freed through ceasefire agreements between Israel and Hamas, which the United States designates as a terrorist organization. According to the newspaper, every former detainee interviewed described experiencing physical abuse and severe hunger while in custody. Several recounted being restrained in painful positions or beaten, while two alleged they had been sexually assaulted in front of other prisoners.
Among those interviewed was Iyad Omar, who had been imprisoned since 2002 after being convicted of attempted murder. Omar said violence inside Lavi prison became routine after the Oct. 7 attacks, contrasting the period with previous years when, according to his account, such treatment had generally been associated with prison riots or hunger strikes rather than daily prison life.
Medical organizations monitoring detention conditions have also reported widespread concerns. Physicians for Human Rights Israel, an Israeli medical advocacy organization, said it had examined 59 detainees since February, with each reporting insufficient food and inadequate access to medical treatment. Hamoked, an Israeli nonprofit that tracks prison population data, estimates that approximately 9,300 Palestinians are currently being held by Israel for alleged security-related offenses, compared with about 5,200 before the war. The organization says most are being held without formal charges.
Israeli officials have publicly acknowledged implementing tougher prison policies after the Oct. 7 attacks. Measures included reducing food rations and suspending visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which are commonly provided in armed conflicts. Government officials have argued that these changes were intended to strengthen deterrence against terrorism and impose stricter conditions on security detainees.
The Israel Prison Service rejected allegations of systematic abuse in a statement provided to The Wall Street Journal. A spokesperson said detainees are held in accordance with Israeli law, their fundamental rights are respected, medical care is provided and complaints or allegations of misconduct are investigated. The agency described accusations of widespread abuse as false and lacking factual basis.
As allegations have accumulated, calls for greater transparency have grown both within Israel and internationally. Israeli President Isaac Herzog acknowledged in a speech in May that acts committed against Palestinian detainees by some Israelis were damaging the country’s international standing. Although the presidency is largely ceremonial, Herzog’s remarks reflected growing concern over the reputational consequences of reported prison abuses.
The issue has unfolded alongside broader criticism directed at Israel over military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and increasing violence involving Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Public attitudes abroad have also shifted. According to Pew Research Center surveys cited in the report, negative views of the Israeli government have increased internationally, including in the United States, where 62% of adults now express an unfavorable opinion of the government, compared with 43% in 2022.
International institutions have also intensified scrutiny. In May, the United Nations placed Israel on a list of parties it says committed sexual violence in conflict, citing allegations involving Palestinian detainees. Israel rejected those allegations, stating that it had comprehensively refuted them and announcing that it would end relations with the office of the U.N. secretary-general.
Israel’s judiciary has also intervened on prison-related issues. Last month, Israel’s High Court ruled that the government’s ban on Red Cross visits violated both Israeli and international law, although such visits had not resumed at the time of the report. The court had previously ruled that the state failed to meet detainees’ basic needs after civil society organizations alleged that prisoners were being deprived of adequate food.
Much of the debate has centered on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose ministry oversees the Israel Prison Service. Ben-Gvir has publicly promoted stricter prison policies for Palestinian detainees and temporarily restricted access for official prison inspectors despite legal requirements. Although inspection access was partially restored in June, the number of inspectors was significantly reduced compared with previous years. Ben-Gvir’s office also appointed several family members of victims of terrorist attacks as official prison inspectors.
The report notes that Ben-Gvir has championed measures including reducing detainee privileges, limiting food to minimum legal requirements and supporting legislation introducing the death penalty for terrorism offenses. Several Western countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and France, have imposed entry bans on Ben-Gvir, citing allegations that he incited violence against Palestinians.
While criticism has intensified, public opinion inside Israel remains divided. A 2025 survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute found that roughly 61% of Jewish Israelis opposed investigations into soldiers suspected of abusing Palestinian detainees from Gaza. Yohanan Plesner, president of the institute, said attitudes toward harsher prison conditions must be understood within the context of the national trauma caused by the Oct. 7 attacks and the belief among many Israelis that stronger punishments increase deterrence.
The Wall Street Journal detailed several individual accounts illustrating the allegations under investigation. Mohammad Mardawi, who had been convicted on security-related charges, alleged that he was sexually assaulted by prison guards while restrained inside Lavi prison in 2024. Ala’a Nabhan, a librarian from near Ramallah who was later convicted by a military court of incitement and support for terrorism after sharing social media posts, alleged that she was beaten during interrogation, threatened with rape and left with a broken nose before being released in a prisoner exchange approximately six months later.
Other former detainees interviewed by the newspaper described untreated medical conditions, outbreaks of scabies and inadequate sanitation inside detention facilities. Physicians for Human Rights Israel also reported identifying scabies outbreaks in multiple detention centers. Court documents reviewed by the newspaper included the case of a 19-year-old detainee who developed paralysis after a spinal infection linked to repeated scabies exposure, leading an Israeli military court to order his release.
The report also examined the experiences of Zakaria Zubeidi, a former militant leader who had previously escaped from Gilboa prison before being recaptured. Released in early 2025 as part of a ceasefire agreement, Zubeidi alleged that repeated beatings during detention caused the loss of his front teeth, leaving him dependent on dentures after his release.
The Wall Street Journal additionally reviewed postmortem reports relating to a dozen Palestinians who died while in Israeli custody during the war. Although Israeli authorities have not publicly released official autopsy findings or causes of death, reports prepared by physicians attending examinations on behalf of families documented cases involving signs of physical assault, untreated infections, prolonged malnutrition and medical neglect. Physicians for Human Rights Israel says it has recorded 105 Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody between October 2023 and June 2026 using official data.
Throughout the conflict, Israel has maintained that tougher prison conditions are lawful and necessary in response to security threats posed by terrorism. Ministerial directives reduced detainee privileges, including access to electronic devices and prison commissaries, while lawmakers temporarily suspended minimum space requirements for detainees to accommodate the increased prison population. On the day some Palestinian prisoners were released under ceasefire agreements, the Israel Prison Service distributed photographs showing detainees wearing sweatshirts bearing the Star of David and an Arabic phrase reading, “We neither forget, nor forgive,” reflecting the symbolic dimension that prison policy has assumed during the conflict.
As allegations continue to emerge, court proceedings, official investigations, oversight reports and government responses remain central to ongoing scrutiny of Israel’s detention system. The issue continues to intersect with broader debates over accountability, security policy and the humanitarian consequences of the conflict that began with the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
