Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) has accused Israeli authorities of committing systematic war crimes and grave violations of international humanitarian law against Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

WJWC stated that recently leaked footage from the Sde Teiman detention camp—showing Israeli soldiers brutally assaulting a Palestinian prisoner—represents only one example among thousands of incidents of torture and abuse taking place within Israeli detention facilities.

In open defiance of international outrage and human rights organizations, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appeared inside a prison, posing before shackled Palestinian detainees and declaring provocatively: “This is how we treat them. Only one thing remains — executing them.”

WJWC said this statement epitomizes the deeply entrenched criminal mindset guiding Israeli occupation policies, where incitement and cruelty are normalized and even celebrated. The organization emphasized that Israel systematically uses arbitrary detention, torture, and deprivation as weapons of war against the Palestinian people — crimes that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity and demand international prosecution.

Expanding Arbitrary Detention and Racist Legislation

Since the declaration of a state of emergency on October 7, 2023, Israel has dramatically expanded arrest campaigns and administrative detention orders without trial. At the same time, Israeli authorities have advanced extremist legislative proposals, including the so-called “Prisoner Execution Law,” aimed at legitimizing collective punishment and executions of Palestinians.

WJWC said these measures reflect Israel’s determination to institutionalize impunity and transform state apparatuses into instruments of repression and racial domination.

Torture, Neglect, and “Slow Killing”

The organization documented extensive violations against Palestinian detainees, including physical and psychological torture, medical neglect, and collective punishment, which it described as a deliberate policy of “slow killing.”

The total number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees has exceeded 10,500, many enduring life-threatening conditions and systematic abuse that require urgent international intervention.

On October 31, Israeli authorities handed over the bodies of 30 Palestinian martyrs from Gaza, bringing the total number of returned corpses to 225. WJWC noted that many of the bodies showed visible signs of torture and summary execution, underscoring the extent of brutality within Israel’s detention system.

Since the ceasefire agreement and the declared end of the war took effect on October 10, under a proposal introduced by former U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli forces have killed 226 Palestinians in the following days. Rescue teams have recovered 499 bodies from beneath the rubble, while Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that the total death toll from Israel’s war on Gaza has surpassed 68,858 people — with hundreds more still trapped under debris or lying uncollected in the streets.

Evidence of Systematic Torture and Execution

WJWC affirmed that the deaths and abuses occurring inside Israeli detention centers reflect a systematic and genocidal policy pursued by the occupation authorities. The organization added that the signs of physical abuse found on returned bodies, along with corroborating testimonies from released detainees, provide compelling evidence of grave violations and crimes committed against prisoners, detainees, and forcibly disappeared persons.

Throughout the conflict, WJWC documented numerous incidents recorded and publicized by Israeli soldiers themselves, showing acts of public humiliation, blindfolding, forced stripping, and sexual violence against Palestinian women during detention.

Escalating Violence Against Female Prisoners

The organization expressed deep concern over escalating abuse against Palestinian female detainees in Damon Prison, where Israeli authorities have conducted violent crackdowns involving physical assaults, the use of police dogs, and the deprivation of basic human needs.

WJWC stated that such practices constitute flagrant violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, particularly Articles 27, 32, and 33, which prohibit torture, cruel treatment, and attacks on human dignity. The recent uncovering of mutilated Palestinian bodies provides further evidence of Israel’s systematic campaign of enforced disappearance and targeted killing.

A Call for Accountability

WJWC warned that Israel’s escalating crimes aim to distract from its ongoing military operations in Gaza — now entering their second year — by provoking new crises and violations elsewhere. The organization called on the international community to take immediate and decisive action to:

• End Israel’s crimes against prisoners and civilians;
• Impose sanctions on Israeli officials involved in torture and extrajudicial executions; and
• Prosecute political and military leaders responsible before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

WJWC reaffirmed that the international community’s silence has become a form of complicity in the face of these atrocities, warning that history will not forgive those who stand idle amid a collapsing humanitarian order and the systematic destruction of human dignity and justice in Palestine.