December 1, 2025
Members of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) hold a solidarity event outside Downing Street for colleagues killed in Gaza during Israeli attacks, in London, United Kingdom on August 27, 2025. [Raşid Necati Aslım – Anadolu Agency]
A new report has revealed that a Palestinian journalist detained by Israeli authorities was raped and subjected to sexual torture inside a detention facility, including an attack carried out by a trained dog.
The Palestinian Centre for the Protection of Journalists said on Sunday that the journalist suffered severe psychological trauma as a result of the assault, leaving him mentally unstable for more than two months. The organisation described the case as one of the most serious crimes documented against journalists inside Israeli prisons.
According to the statement, the incident took place at the Sde Teiman detention centre, where the journalist and seven other detainees were taken to a secluded area within the camp. There, they were subjected to gang rape in the presence of Israeli soldiers, some of whom deliberately filmed the assaults and mocked the victims. All of the detainees were handcuffed, blindfolded, and denied any form of legal or humanitarian protection.
The journalist, identified only as “Yahya” for the safety of his family, said the assault lasted roughly three minutes and was followed by a severe psychological collapse that left him unable to concentrate or function normally for more than two months. Doctors and human rights advocates who reviewed his testimony said the symptoms were consistent with acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“Yahya,” who spent 20 months in Israeli prisons — including three months in Sde Teiman and one month in Ofer — said the assault was not an isolated incident but part of a broader, systematic policy of torture aimed at breaking detainees psychologically and physically.
He also described the use of dogs as a direct tool of torture, in clear violation of international conventions prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
Rights groups: Electric shocks now ‘main tool’ of torture in Israel’s Gilad Prison
December 1, 2025
Israeli Prison Service bus carrying Palestinians prisoners on October 16, 2011 [Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images]
Palestinian detainees held in Gilad Prison, part of Israel’s Ofer detention complex, are being subjected to electric shocks as a primary method of torture, according to testimonies gathered by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.
In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the two organisations said that dozens of visits conducted in November revealed “harsh detention conditions and systematic abuse”, with prisoners reporting frequent use of electric shocks during cell raids.
One detainee said that a fellow prisoner was shocked after guards saw him leading other inmates in prayer. Others reported being punished with electric shocks simply for standing near the cell’s iron bars to breathe fresh air. Prisoners described the shocks as “one of the most brutal and severe forms of torture”.
The groups added that inmates are also being forced to sleep on so-called “barbeds” — metal frames made of iron bars or barbed wire, topped with thin mattresses — causing physical harm. Many detainees prefer to sleep on the floor, but the onset of winter has compounded their hardship. According to the statement, blankets and mattresses are removed every morning at 6am and prisoners are not allowed to sit or lie down again until 10pm.
Detainees further reported that the daily headcount, or “security check”, is used as another form of ill-treatment. During the procedure, prisoners are allegedly forced to kneel with their hands raised above their heads until guards complete the inspection.
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