Palestinian journalists recount torture, systematic abuse in Israeli detention: Report

By Lina Altawell

ISTANBUL (AA) - Palestinian journalists have suffered torture and systematic abuse in Israeli detention, including beating, starvation, sexual violence and medical neglect, because of their work since the Gaza war, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Thursday.

The New York-based organization said in a report that at least 94 Palestinian journalists – 32 from Gaza, 60 from the West Bank and two from Israel – and one media worker had been detained by the Israeli army since October 2023.

Testimonies given by 59 journalists who had been released showed that they were systematically abused, beaten, starved and subjected to sexual violence, including rape, in Israeli prisons.

Many also described psychological threats, stress positions causing prolonged pain, and being subjected to prolonged exposure to high-volume sound, including continuous music. The organization said it reviewed photographs, medical reports and legal documents provided by the freed reporters.

“CPJ’s reporting shows a clear pattern in how Palestinian journalists were treated in Israeli custody,” CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement.

“The scale and consistency of these testimonies point to something far beyond isolated misconduct.”

According to CPJ, more than 80 percent (48 of 58) of the freed Palestinian journalists were never charged with any crime and were held under Israel’s administrative detention system, which allows for holding Palestinians without charge and can be renewed indefinitely.

At least 21 said they were denied adequate legal representation, with 17 stating they were not allowed to speak to a lawyer at all.

“When dozens of journalists independently describe physical and psychological abuse, the international community must take action,” Ginsberg said.

“Humanitarian law sets unequivocal standards for the treatment of detainees and there needs to be meaningful accountability for failure to meet these standards.”

- Rape

Two of the 59 Palestinian journalists also reported being raped in Israeli detention.
At least 14 journalists also said they were subjected to prolonged exposure to high-volume sound while in Israeli detention facilities, particularly at Sde Teiman in southern Israel, including continuous amplified music, resulting in sleep deprivation and sensory disorientation.

The press group also documented 27 accounts of medical neglect often compounding injuries during beatings or interrogations and, in several cases, the complicity of health workers in violence against detained reporters.

Journalists further reported wounds stitched without anaesthesia, untreated fractures and eye injuries, and the deliberate neglect of serious pre-existing and newly sustained health conditions. Fifty-five of the freed journalists also reported extreme hunger or malnutrition.

“These are not isolated incidents,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah.

“Across dozens of cases, CPJ documented a recurring set of abuse – from beating to starvation, sexual violence, and medical neglect – directed at journalists because of their work. They expose a deliberate strategy to intimidate and silence journalists, and destroy their ability to bear witness. The continued silence from the international community only enables this.”

The organization called on the Israeli authorities to allow independent international monitors, including UN special rapporteurs, access to detention facilities and launch transparent, impartial investigations into all allegations.

More than 9,300 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including 66 women and 350 children, according to official Palestinian figures.

A US-backed ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Oct. 10, halting Israel’s two-year war that has killed more than 72,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.

Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces have committed hundreds of violations through shelling and gunfire, killing 603 Palestinians and injuring 1,618 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israel has also escalated its assaults in the West Bank since the Gaza war, killing at least 1,112 Palestinians and wounding about 11,500 others during the same period.