العربية
HE
العربية
HE
On February 27, 2025, the National Prison Guard Investigation Unit (NPGIU) notified HaMoked that indictments had been filed against 12 prison guards suspected of assaulting inmates at Gilboa Prison in 2021. To date, the NPGIU has not responded to HaMoked’s requests to review the indictments. The unit’s response came only after repeated appeals by HaMoked, beginning with four letters of complaint sent on November 22, 2021, demanding that those responsible for the assaults be prosecuted. The letters were sent on behalf of prisoners who were harmed in the assaults and included detailed testimonies describing the physical and psychological violence they endured.
The affair on September 6, 2021, when six inmates labeled security prisoners broke out of Gilboa Prison. The event sparked intense public criticism of the Israel Prison Service (IPS) and allegations of negligence. In the aftermath of the prison break, tension rose throughout the prison system, and emergency measures were imposed, including the closure of several prison wings. At the same time, one day after the prison break, a prisoner known to be mentally unstable threw boiling water at a prison guard. Though the guard was not hurt, the incident triggered a harsh and violent response directed at all prisoners in the wing.
According to testimonies given to HaMoked, prison guards subjected inmates to severe physical and psychological violence, including torture and denial of medical treatment, without regard to the prisoners’ age or medical condition, and despite the fact that the prisoners were handcuffed and did not resist. The testimonies indicate that the abuse was used, among other things, as a form of collective punishment and retaliation for the Gilboa prison break. Footage documenting the events was later published in Israeli media.
In a letter of complaint sent on his behalf, one of the prisoners, identified by the pseudonym A., described his experiences during the events. According to A., immediately following the incident, guards removed all prisoners from their cells with their hands tied behind their backs and rounded them up in a designated area of the wing. A. reported that the handcuffs were fastened so tightly that prisoners experienced severe pain in their hands. When he and other inmates asked that the restraints be loosened slightly for a fellow prisoner who was feeling unwell, the guards refused.
A. and other prisoners were held in extreme overcrowding in a small cell not designed to accommodate such a large number of people. Despite being confined there for many hours, the guards denied them access to and other basic needs. Later, A. was removed from the cell to be transferred to Shata Prison, while barefoot. Throughout the transfer, he witnessed severe physical violence and verbal abuse by prison guards directed at other inmates.
Upon arrival at Shata Prison, a guard who held a personal grudge against A. repeatedly and violently beat him on various parts of his body. The guard then placed A. in solitary confinement and, upon removing him, assaulted him again in the presence of other prison personnel. Three additional inmates who gave testimony to HaMoked described a similar pattern of violence and further violations of their rights, including the denial of urgent medical care and the confiscation of basic personal effects.
Unfortunately, violence, torture, and the violation of the basic rights of security prisoners are not uncommon. Since 7 October, these practices have evolved into a policy, backed by political leadership, which has led to the deaths of nearly 100 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons over the past two years alone.
The indictments filed in the present case are the exception that proves the rule. Indictments against prison guards who engage in violence against inmates are rare, creating a reality of de facto immunity. Bringing those responsible to justice through indictment, conviction and appropriate punishment is urgently required in order to meaningfully deter unlawful, violent conduct and to end the systematic abuse of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
In fact, it is reasonable to assume that the negative media attention surrounding these events was a central factor prompting the IPS to pursue indictments in this case. Other incidents, which are not documented or covered by the Israeli media, are unlikely to receive similar treatment.
