Monday, February 19
A senior official in the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) on Monday called for international intervention to reveal the existence of secret Israeli prisons and detention centers established after October 7.
Qadoura Fares, head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, stated in a press release that a report aired by Israel's Channel 13 on Sunday regarding torture methods used against detainees during Israel's assault on Gaza proves that “the occupation state is engaging in internationally prohibited torture and abuse. We are once again witnessing a reality reminiscent of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons, perhaps even worse.”
Fares questioned, “What is the international community waiting for? Is this level of violence and brutality against the Palestinian people’s fighters in occupation prisons not enough? Does the world want to wake up to an unprecedented human catastrophe in history?”
Fares condemned the types and methods of torture inflicted on detainees in all prisons and detention centers. He said these actions align with orders from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who in December 2023 demanded the incarceration of resistance fighters in an underground prison that had not been used for years.
He urged international institutions and bodies to break their silence and act immediately to expose secret prisons and detention centers set up after October 7.
On Sunday, Israel's Channel 13 reported that Hamas elite fighters detained in Israeli prisons endure harsh conditions, crammed into very small cells while experiencing hunger, cold, and other severe restrictions.
The report highlighted that prison guards play loud Hebrew songs daily, including “Am Yisrael Chai” (The Nation of Israel Lives), inside the overcrowded cells housing Hamas fighters.
Additionally, the report showed that police dogs accompany guards during every inspection of these prisoners.
According to the report, “more than five prisoners are held in a single, very small cell, and the food provided to them is minimal.”
Israel claims to have detained thousands of fighters from the elite forces of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, during the October 7 Al-Aqsa Flood attacks against settlements near Gaza.
Since that date, Israel has waged a devastating war on Gaza, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties, the majority of whom are children and women, as well as an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and significant damage to infrastructure and property, according to Palestinian and UN data. This has led to Israel being brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide.