"Raped with a zucchini": Experts reveal ongoing atrocities against Palestinians in 'Israeli' prisons

On 20 October 2025, the Arab Organization for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) hosted a webinar titled “Bodies of Detainees and Messages of Torture: What Is Happening Inside Israeli Prisons?”

The event exposed ongoing human rights violations against Palestinian detainees, including physical and psychological torture, sexual violence, medical neglect, and the return of bodies bearing clear signs of abuse and mutilation. Experts warned that these abuses continue despite a declared ceasefire.

The panel included Dr. Frank Romano, Prof. Dan Kovalik, Dr. Filiz Değer, Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, Dr. Ahmed Mokhallalati, Lana Abugharbieh, and Dr. Mark Perlmutter, who shared first-hand accounts and eyewitness testimony from Gaza.

Dr. Filiz Değer said that 'Israel' continues to violate the truce, killing Palestinians and returning 120 bodies with gunshot wounds, blindfolds, and crushed bones. She said approximately 11,056 Palestinians remain detained, including 3,500 under administrative detention without trial. Many of the deceased were held at the Sde Teiman military base, a site documented for systematic abuse. She argued 'Israel’s' actions meet the legal definition of genocide and constitute crimes against humanity.

Dr. Mark Perlmutter shared horrifying testimonies of torture against medical personnel:

• A nurse shot in the knee for refusing to abandon a patient was blindfolded, denied care, and forced to survive with an untreated, maggot-infested wound. A rifle butt was shoved into his eye, which exploded, and he later had his leg amputated.
• Surgeons were abducted during operations, beaten repeatedly, and tortured. One surgeon had every fingertip broken, was raped by female soldiers with a zucchini soaked in pork blood, and faced threats against his wife and children using photos and drone surveillance.
• Witnesses described being forced to bury people alive, including children pushed into mass graves; their skeletons were later exhumed with hands tied and clothing intact.

Read more: 'Israel' investigates whistleblowers who leaked footage of Palestinian detainee rape

Dr. Ahmed Mokhallalati described the systematic removal of over 250 bodies from Gaza hospitals without documentation, leaving families unaware of thousands of missing dead. Gaza’s forensic systems are overwhelmed, with frozen bodies, inadequate labs, and limited DNA testing. Many returned bodies still bore prisoner tags, blindfolds, gunshot wounds, and signs of trauma, showing perpetrators did not attempt to conceal abuse.

Dr. Frank Romano and Prof. Dan Kovalik condemned the dehumanization of Palestinian detainees. Kovalik highlighted that rape is increasingly used as a weapon, including documented cases of detainees being “literally raped to death,” and warned that 'Israel’s' impunity enables such crimes.

Lana Abugharbieh recounted how Palestinian detainees, including 3,000 children, were abducted without trial. One nurse friend endured solitary confinement, stress positions, beatings, rape with a baton, and torture with electrical shocks. He was starved and forced to drink a sterilizing substance. Despite his humanitarian work, he was sentenced to life in prison and released only hours before a ceasefire exchange. Lana said, “Israel fulfilled that promise, they destroyed them physically, mentally, and emotionally.”

The panel also addressed allegations of organ theft from detainees’ bodies. Dr. Perlmutter noted that while direct proof is limited, evidence of war crimes and abuse is clear. Dr. Mokhallalati highlighted Gaza’s lack of forensic resources and the need for DNA testing and documentation to ensure future accountability. Historical cases in 'Israel', including unethical use of corpses for research, reinforce the urgency.

Sir Geoffrey Nice KC stressed the need for careful, evidence-based investigation into organ removal claims and suggested that returning mutilated bodies may also serve as psychological torture.

The webinar concluded with a call for international accountability, forensic support, transparency, and urgent intervention to end the ongoing abuse of Palestinian detainees.