Lawyers report Palestinians held in underground 'Israeli' jail face torture, isolation

Dozens of Palestinians from Gaza remain detained in Rakefet, an underground 'Israeli' prison, where they are reportedly kept without daylight, deprived of adequate food, and denied contact with their families or news from the outside world. Lawyers from the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), who represent some detainees, describe conditions as physically and psychologically torturous.

Among those held are a nurse detained at work in December 2023 and a teenage food seller arrested in October 2024. Both were transferred to Rakefet in January and endured repeated beatings, abuse, and harsh confinement, consistent with documented torture practices in other 'Israeli' detention centers. The teenage detainee was released in mid-October, while the nurse remains in custody.

Originally opened in the early 1980s to house a small number of high-security organized crime inmates, Rakefet was closed in 1985 due to inhumane conditions. Far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reopened it following the October 7 events in 2023. The prison holds roughly 100 detainees in windowless cells, underground exercise areas, and meeting rooms, all without natural light.

PCATI lawyers described the conditions as extreme and intentionally abusive. Inmates face:

• Minimal ventilation and daylight, impairing sleep and vitamin D production
• Physical abuse, beatings, and assaults by muzzled dogs
• Starvation-level rations and inadequate medical care
• Restrictive movement, with only a few minutes in the exercise yard every other day

The detainees are held without formal charges or trials, with 'Israeli' judges authorizing brief video hearings in which they could not access lawyers or evidence. PCATI has warned that such wartime detentions, despite the ceasefire in mid-October, violate international humanitarian law.

Lawyers recounted emotionally devastating moments with detainees. The nurse, a father of three, has not seen daylight since January and has had no news of his family. The teenager told lawyers, “You are the first person I have seen since my arrest,” requesting future visits.

Ben-Gvir has publicly defended the prison, framing it as a facility for “elite” Hamas fighters, though rights groups emphasize that the majority of detainees are civilians. Human rights experts warn that the psychological and physical impact of long-term underground detention is profound and may amount to torture.

The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) stated it operates “in accordance with the law and under the supervision of official comptrollers,” while referring broader questions about arrests and detainees to the military.