Israeli occupation authorities have been systematically torturing Palestinian detainees from Gaza since at least February 2024, according to Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory.
In a public statement, Albanese affirmed that mounting evidence confirms the abuse of prisoners held in Israeli custody, while Israel continues to operate with impunity and remains shielded from international accountability.
The statement coincides with revelations from a recent investigative report exposing the existence of a secret underground Israeli prison known as Rakefet, where dozens of Palestinians from Gaza are being held in conditions described by legal experts as tantamount to torture.
The facility, located beneath the Ramla prison complex southeast of Tel Aviv, was reopened in late 2023 under the directive of far-right Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
According to testimonies collected by lawyers from the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), detainees in Rakefet are subjected to extreme physical and psychological abuse.
They are denied sunlight, adequate food, medical care, and any contact with their families or the outside world.
Many are shackled, blindfolded, and beaten, with some reporting attacks by dogs and deliberate humiliation. Mattresses are removed during the day, and prisoners are confined underground in total isolation.
The majority of those held are civilians, including a nurse and a teenage food vendor, who were abducted from Gaza during the ongoing war.
Israeli courts have extended their detention in brief video hearings without legal representation, using the phrase “until the end of the war” as justification.
These proceedings violate basic due process and reflect a broader pattern of arbitrary detention and legal erasure.
Albanese has previously warned that such practices may constitute crimes against humanity and genocide under international law.
The treatment of detainees, combined with the conditions of confinement and lack of oversight, raises serious concerns about violations of the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture.
The revelations about Rakefet prison add to growing calls for international investigation into Israel’s detention policies, particularly regarding civilians abducted from Gaza and held incommunicado.
Human rights organizations continue to demand access to detainees, independent forensic review, and legal accountability for those responsible.
This case underscores the urgent need for global scrutiny of Israel’s carceral system and its role in the broader machinery of occupation, repression, and collective punishment targeting Palestinians across the occupied territories.
