Israel. The physician: “I didn’t come to treat you. I came to torture you.” El médico: «No vine a curarte. Vine a torturarte».

ENGLISH

‘The Doctor Said: I Came to Torture You’: Gaza Detainees Describe Israeli Prison Abuse
June 27, 2026 

Released Palestinian detainees from Gaza have consistently described systematic torture, abuse, and degrading treatment inside Israeli prisons.
By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Two Palestinians released from Israeli detention described systematic torture, abuse, and degrading treatment inside Israeli prisons and detention centers.

Key Takeaways

    -Two former Gaza detainees described systematic torture, medical neglect, and degrading treatment in Israeli detention facilities.
    -Journalist Khader Bakr Abdel Aal said detainees were subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation, electric shocks, and prolonged shackling.
    -The testimonies were released on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

Two Palestinians released from Israeli detention have described a system of torture, abuse, and inhumane treatment inside Israeli prisons and detention centers, recounting months of physical violence, medical neglect, humiliation, and psychological abuse.

Their testimonies were released on Saturday 27 June to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture and were published by Quds News Network.

The former detainees said the abuses were not isolated incidents but part of a systematic policy carried out across Israeli detention facilities holding Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Ordeal at Al-Shifa Hospital

Palestinian journalist Khader Bakr Abdel Aal said he was detained at Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Medical Complex on March 18, 2024, after remaining in the city throughout the Israeli genocide that began on October 7, 2023.

He said soldiers immediately handcuffed him behind his back, blindfolded him, stripped him of his clothes, and subjected him and dozens of other detainees to hours of severe beatings.

Abdel Aal described the experience as “harsh and humiliating,” adding that the absence of international protection for Palestinian journalists left them exposed from the beginning of the war.

He said approximately 150 detainees were transported together before being separated into smaller buses, where they remained shackled by both hands and feet while continuing to endure physical assaults.

According to Abdel Aal, the beatings caused fractured ribs that took months to heal.

‘I Came to Torture You’

Before being transferred into detention, Abdel Aal said he was taken to a medical screening point near Gaza, where detainees were photographed and registered.

When he informed a doctor that he suffered from a chronic skin condition, he said the physician responded:

“I didn’t come to treat you. I came to torture you.”

He said he was then returned to detention without receiving medical care.
Death, Medical Neglect and Continuous Abuse

Abdel Aal also recounted the death of detainee Kamal Radi inside one of the prison sections.

According to his testimony, Radi was beaten for nearly an hour before being returned to his cell in critical condition.

He later died in custody.

Abdel Aal said prison authorities subsequently informed Radi’s son—who was being held in another section—that his father had died.

The journalist said he spent 91 days inside the Sde Teiman detention camp, describing the period as “a continuous series of torture.”

He said detainees were forbidden from speaking, praying, or sleeping normally, while access to toilets was restricted to only a few minutes each day.

Throughout his detention, he said prisoners remained handcuffed and blindfolded almost continuously and faced punishment for any movement or attempt to communicate.

According to Abdel Aal, Israeli prison raid units entered detention sections almost weekly to carry out mass beatings, including during religious holidays.

He said the violence appeared unrelated to interrogations or intelligence gathering and instead aimed solely at humiliating detainees.

Electric Shocks and Sleep Deprivation

Abdel Aal said torture methods also included electric shocks, prolonged sleep deprivation, and repeated transfers between detention centers.

He described transfers to courts or hospitals as “journeys of torture,” saying detainees were forced to remain for hours in painful positions under the sun on scorching asphalt surfaces.

He also recalled developing severe blood poisoning during his detention.

After being transferred to a hospital while shackled hand and foot and under heavy guard, he said he was assaulted again, suffering a head injury that caused heavy bleeding.

Fearing further abuse, he said he concealed the circumstances surrounding his injuries.

‘Disco’ Rooms of Abuse

Former detainee Musab Amdoukh described another form of abuse that he said was routinely employed inside Israeli detention facilities.

He said prisoners were taken to rooms known among detainees as the “Disco” or “Music” rooms, where extremely loud sound was played continuously to prevent sleep and subject prisoners to intense psychological pressure.

Amdoukh said detainees were also subjected to repeated beatings, humiliation, and degrading treatment.

Among the practices he described was forcing some prisoners to drink water in humiliating ways intended to strip them of their dignity.

The testimonies add to a growing body of accounts from Palestinians released from Israeli detention who have described systematic torture, prolonged shackling, medical neglect, and other abuses inside Israeli prisons since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza.

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