A harrowing new report from the Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ) reveals that Palestinian journalists were systematically raped, tortured and starved while in Israeli detention.
The CPJ took “59 in-depth testimonies” from “Palestinian journalists released from Israeli custody since October 7, 2023, “ which revealed that 58 — all but one of those released — reported being subjected to what they described as torture, abuse, or other forms of violence”.
The report noted, “While conditions varied at different facilities, the methods those interviewed recounted — physical assaults, forced stress positions, sensory deprivation, sexual violence, and medical neglect — were strikingly consistent.”
It documented that, “Of the 59 journalists interviewed, 56 said they were repeatedly beaten inside prisons by authorities, as well as during arrest and transfer to the facilities.”
Some examples of brutal beatings of Palestinian journalists include:
Mustafa Khawaja, a journalist from the West Bank, said a beating on March 14, 2024, in Shatta prison left him with fractured ribs, meniscus tears, and spinal injuries later diagnosed as herniated discs. In Ktzi’ot prison, another detained journalist, Mohammed Badr, said he was struck so hard his tongue was cut. For two weeks, he could barely speak or eat.
At Ofer prison, radio journalist Mohammad al-Atrash described a coordinated assault in November 2023 that he and other detainees called “a Shin Bet party” or a “Ben-Gvir party” — a mass punishment involving dozens of prisoners.
Al-Atrash stated that trained dogs were ordered to attack the detainees, and metal instruments were used to create long-lasting bleeding and scars. Gazan journalists Islam Ahmed and Osama al-Sayed recounted the intermittent use of electroshocking and pepper spray between beatings.
Others described injuries that lingered. Journalist Mohammed Nafez Qaoud said repeated beatings during intake left deep wounds on his feet. Without treatment, he said, they became infected with “worms feeding on them.”
It also noted that, “36 journalists, roughly two-thirds, described being placed in forced stress positions.”
Along with this, the report documented that, “At least 14 journalists told CPJ they were subjected to prolonged exposure to high-volume sound, including continuous amplified music, resulting in sleep deprivation and sensory disorientation in Israeli detention facilities, particularly at Sde Teiman, a practice also documented by other human rights groups. Additional testimonies described round-the-clock dog barking that they said exacerbated their psychological distress.”
It added that “At least seven”, “reported that they were held for days in what they called ‘disco rooms,’ where speakers blasted music at such intensity that sleep became impossible.”
The report noted that, “Medical neglect emerged as one of the most pervasive forms of reported abuse, often compounding injuries reportedly suffered during beatings or interrogations” adding that it “documented 27 accounts of medical neglect and, in several cases, the complicity of health workers in violence against detainees.”
The report “documented reports of widespread scabies, unexplained rashes and boils, wounds stitched without anaesthesia, untreated bone fractures and eye injuries, asthma attacks, and the deliberate neglect of serious pre-existing and newly sustained health conditions. Journalists also described unsanitary living conditions, chronic food shortages, and the complete lack of sanitary products for women.”
Israeli health workers often took part in the abuse against Palestinian journalists, with the report noting, “Several said they avoided medical staff altogether, saying doctors themselves inflicted or condoned abuse. Abdul Mohsen Shalaldeh told CPJ and the Tadamon Centre that he was burned by lit cigarettes extinguished on his bare body. When he reported the abuse to an attending physician in detention, the physician responded, ‘It’s okay, no problem.’ Another journalist who was detained recalled a doctor responding to a serious injury by saying, ‘Why did you call me if he isn’t dead yet?’”
Furthermore, the report noted that, “Fifty-five of the 59 journalists interviewed reported extreme hunger or malnutrition. CPJ calculated an average weight loss of 23.5 kilograms (54 pounds) among the group by comparing journalists’ reported weight before and after detention” adding:
Photographs provided to CPJ show dramatic transformations, with journalists displaying gaunt faces, protruding ribs, and hollowed cheeks.
Ahmed Shaqoura said he lost 54 kilograms (119 pounds) during 14 months in Israeli custody in Ktzi’ot and Al-Jalama prisons. Others described surviving on moldy bread and rotten food, and generally inadequate quantities of food.
Journalist Ashwaq Ayad said she lost more than 15 kilograms (33 pounds) and began vomiting blood after being denied appropriate food and treatment for a pre-existing medical condition.
Pictured Above: Journalist Mohammad Badr before and after losing 40 kilograms from starvation in Israeli detention.
The report also documented that, “Two of the 59 Palestinian journalists also told CPJ they were raped in detention” documenting that:
Journalist Sami al-Sai said he was taken to a small cell in Megiddo prison, and soldiers removed his trousers and underwear, and penetrated him with batons and other objects.
Another journalist, Osama al-Sayed, said he and other detainees were stripped naked and attacked by trained dogs in Sde Teiman. He described the incident as rape, adding that soldiers laughed while filming the assault.
The report further documented “17 journalist testimonies involving sexual violence and 19 more describing humiliating strip searches. The alleged acts included assaults on the journalists’ genitals, attempted forced penetration with objects, forced nudity and recording, threats of rape, and other methods of sexualized coercion.”
Finally, the report documented that this torture was inflicted on Palestinian journalists explicitly in retribution for their work noting that “Multiple journalists told CPJ they were explicitly targeted because of their work.”
The report added:
Mohammed Badr said interrogators questioned him for hours about his journalism and gave him a choice of becoming an informant or remaining longer in prison.
Amin Baraka said that he was repeatedly interrogated for his work with Qatar-affiliated Al Jazeera and threatened with violence against his family.
“An Israeli soldier told me, word for word in Arabic, that Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh defied us and stayed in the Gaza Strip, so we killed his family, and we will kill yours too,” he said.
Mohammed al-Atrash said before he was released from prison he was warned to stop working in journalism. “They told me if you write as much as “good morning” on your socials, we will find out,” he said.
The torture of Palestinian journalists in Israeli detention is part of the broader Israeli war against Palestinian journalists.
The CPJ has documented that Israel killed over 250 journalists since the start of the genocide in Gaza, and reporters without borders documented that 43% of journalists killed worldwide last year were killed by Israel in Gaza.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has also documented that Israel targeted and killed 706 family members of Palestinian journalists since October of 2023.
Note to readers: The Dissident is a reader-supported outlet. If you liked this article, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Just wanted to highlight the last paragraph because it's absolutely insane nothing has been done to stop Israel. This is a holocaust. This is a genocide. All done with impunity and complicity from almost every governments in the world:
"The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has also documented that Israel targeted and killed 706 family members of Palestinian journalists since October of 2023."
Anyone who supports Israel explicitly supports rape, torture, starvation, murder and other war crimes.