Reports have surfaced detailing alarming allegations of torture and inhumane treatment of detainees at the Sde Teiman military base in Israel. Since October 7, this facility has been repurposed as a detention center, housing numerous individuals amid the ongoing conflict in the region. 44-year-old school principal and father of six Ibrahim Mohamad Khalil Al-Shaweesh from Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza alleges he endured brutal abuse during his almost month-long detention.
Al-Shaweesh’s account highlights a range of abuses allegedly faced by detainees at Sde Teiman, which critics have described as “Israel’s Abu Ghraib.” Thankfully, one of these other detainees, Mohamad Nawaf Ahmad Abu Taweeleh, decided to speak out against their occurrences. He accuses Israeli forces of subjecting him to chemical burns and torture. These troubling findings have raised new alarms over the treatment of prisoners in Israeli custody. So human rights organizations and the international community as a whole are closely tracking these developments.
Conditions Inside Sde Teiman
The Sde Teiman military base has quickly been converted into a detention center for people taken prisoner in the raid that started the current wars. Given this change, important questions emerge regarding the culture behind its walls. According to abusive stories of detainees such as Al-Shaweesh, a number of extreme measures were taken against the detainees. He was imprisoned for 28 days at Sde Teiman, where he was subjected to what he termed – “all sorts of torture.” The degrading treatment involved being handcuffed and blindfolded throughout all of his detention with restraints never taken off.
For the duration of his confinement, Al-Shaweesh lived in a structure that was essentially a warehouse. He claims to have lost 10-15 kg from a lack of food and miserable living environments. Videos reflecting his emaciated condition circulated quickly on social media within 72 hours of his release on February 8. This led to intense public outcry over the abuse of Palestinian prisoners.
“They would pull out their nails with pliers and tongs,” Abu Taweeleh described in his testimony. He described other horrific techniques used on detainees, like severe beatings and chemical torture.
“They used chemicals including nitric acid, chlorine, liquid washing detergent, and other chemicals,” – Mohamad Nawaf Ahmad Abu Taweeleh
The allegations extend beyond physical abuse. The torture detainees allegedly suffered was psychological. Abu Taweeleh recounted being suspended by their feet and hands for hours on end, leaving lasting feelings of terror and hopelessness.
Testimonies of Torture
Both Al-Shaweesh and Abu Taweeleh told us chilling accounts of what they went through while in detention at Sde Teiman. Al-Shaweesh went on to detail the humiliating, degrading treatment he endured every single day.
“You had to eat, drink, go to the toilet with your hands tied and blindfolded,” he recalled, detailing how even basic human needs were obstructed. “Whenever you want to drink, a person comes over, he takes the glass of water, and he puts it on your lips so you can drink — sometimes it works, sometimes not.”
Thousands of former detainees describe a scary trend of violation. This raises alarming issues of ethics and human rights when it comes to the treatment of individuals held in Israeli detention centers.
“They totally undressed me, and they started interrogating me in [a] room,” – Ibrahim Mohamad Khalil Al-Shaweesh
Al-Shaweesh’s nightmare included being made to crawl over glass during torture sessions. His in-person and published remarks create the impression of a system run largely and exclusively on an inhumane basis.
Official Responses and Criticism
Given the severity of these accusations, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officials have commented on the treatment of detainees. They stressed that any verifiable allegation of abuse is immediately addressed and investigated.
“Concrete allegations regarding inappropriate behaviour by detention staff or inadequate conditions are referred to the relevant authorities for investigation and examination and are addressed accordingly.” – IDF
Critics say that these kinds of assurances don’t go far enough to address the systemic problems former detainees have highlighted. Israeli human rights organizations have long condemned conditions inside Israeli prisons as torture themselves. Their stories illuminate the greater call for transparency and accountability in our treatment.
The IDF maintains that no abuse is allowed, for critics, extreme and abusive interrogation techniques continue to flourish. Extended detention persists through the enhanced security procedures now in place.
“Prolonged restraint during detention is implemented only in exceptional cases and only as long as significant security and safety considerations exist,” – IDF
The institutional and systemic issues remnants from the faux pas still spark human rights debates regarding treatment of war detainees, operating in combat zones. Reports such as Al-Shaweesh and Abu Taweeleh’s further emphasize the need for immediate reform to Israeli detention practices.
