- violence in Israeli prisons, Oct 2023 to Oct 2025

12 Apr 2026
https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/7022/%E2%80%9CAnother-genocide-behind-walls%E2%80%9D:-New-report-documents-testimonies-of-rape-and-sexual-violence-in-Israeli-prisons

Palestinian Territory - Sexual violence against Palestinians in Israeli prisons
and detention centres constitutes a de facto state policy, used as a tool of
subjugation and destruction, with a sharp escalation and the removal of prior
restraints since 7 October 2023, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a report.

The new report, titled "Another genocide behind walls", documents widespread
patterns of sexual violence, including rape, against detainees from the Gaza
Strip, describing it as a tool of destruction aimed at breaking individual and
collective will and inflicting severe physical and psychological harm. The
report cites direct sexual assault, assault with objects, and torture targeting
the genitals, as well as organised practices such as filming and the presence of
multiple security personnel during assaults, which reinforces evidence of the
institutional and systematic nature of these crimes.

These violations intersect with detention policies that inflict severe, lasting
physical and psychological harm, including injuries that cause permanent
disability and, in some cases, impair reproductive function.

The report relied primarily on live testimonies from Palestinian former
detainees from the Gaza Strip who were released by Israeli forces in recent
weeks and months and who reported being subjected to various forms of systematic
sexual violence.

Khaled Ahmad, a researcher at Euro-Med Monitor, said that accessing cases of
sexual violence and documenting testimony was "nearly impossible."

"We knew there were dozens of cases of rape and sexual assault, but in a
conservative society, it is extremely difficult for someone to come forward and
say they were raped," he added. "Despite the difficulties, we managed to reach
some cases, but most were male, because the context of sexual assault against
women in Palestinian society carries greater and more complex
consequences. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for a woman to say she was
assaulted."

Ahmad also confirmed that Euro-Med Monitor was unable to access or obtain
consent to document dozens of other cases, adding: "We know that the number of
people subjected to sexual violence is higher than expected, and that there are
dozens of other male and female victims who were raped or sexually assaulted and
chose to remain silent."

The report highlights that the Israeli torture system deliberately widens the
circle of harm through a strategy of "psychological warfare" that exploits the
high value placed on "dignity" and "privacy" in Palestinian collective
consciousness, turning them from protective norms into instruments of
coercion. Instead of society functioning as a protective space, victims are led
to believe that disclosing sexual abuse would constitute a second violation of
their privacy and their family's reputation. This fosters a cycle of emotional
isolation that discourages reporting or seeking assistance for fear of further
compromising their personal and familial dignity, already eroded by the torture.

Cont'd ...