Palestinian journalist reveals horrific details of being raped in ‘Israeli’ prisons

• Palestinian journalist Sami al-Sa'i described being sexually assaulted and brutally beaten by 'Israeli' prison guards during his administrative detention from February 2024 to June 2025.
• He reported extreme physical abuse, including beatings, forced positions, and threats, highlighting the broader harsh conditions faced by over 9,300 Palestinian prisoners, including children and women.
• Human rights groups note a pattern of torture, medical neglect, and humiliation in Israeli prisons, with calls for urgent international intervention to stop systematic abuses.

A Palestinian journalist, Sami al-Sa'i, who was held in 'Israeli' administrative detention from February 2024 to June 2025, has given a harrowing testimony of sexual assault and physical abuse by 'Israeli' prison guards.

He spoke at a session organized by the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) in Ramallah.

Al-Sa'i, from Tulkarm in the northern West Bank, recounted being assaulted in Megiddo prison, where guards reportedly used a stick to rape him while he was bound and blindfolded. He described being taken under threat and beaten to a corner of the prison, forced to strip, and positioned in a humiliating posture while enduring extreme pain. The assault also included violent attacks on his sensitive body areas and one guard reportedly standing on his head and neck.

The journalist highlighted the broader "catastrophic reality" faced by Palestinian detainees, including physical beatings, starvation, medical neglect, humiliation, and intimidation. He noted that such abuses intensified following the appointment of far-right 'Israeli' Interior Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, under whose authority the prison system operates.

Al-Sa'i’s testimony coincides with reports from other Palestinian detainees describing torture and sexual abuse, including the use of trained dogs in one case, leading to severe psychological trauma. Palestinian human rights organizations have documented dozens of such cases since the outbreak of the 'Israeli' assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Over 9,300 Palestinian prisoners, including women and minors, remain in 'Israeli' jails, with human rights groups reporting widespread torture, neglect, and medical abuse, resulting in multiple deaths.

'Israeli' authorities continue to deny systematic violations, while human rights organizations call for urgent international intervention to halt ongoing abuses.