‘Another genocide behind walls’: New report documents testimonies of rape and sexual violence in Israeli prisons
Detained Palestinians, stripped to their underwear, sit on a street in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, as Israeli soldiers stand guard.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reports on 12 April 2026:
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.
In one testimony to Euro-Med Monitor, 43-year-old Wajdi, who spent a year in detention, recounted being repeatedly raped by soldiers and a dog during interrogation.
He said, “During interrogation, they tied me naked to a metal bed, and one of the soldiers asked me how many Israeli women I had raped in Israel. I denied that I had even entered Israel. Then a soldier raped me. I felt severe pain in my anus and screamed, but every time I screamed, I was beaten. This continued for several minutes, while soldiers filmed and mocked me.
“The soldier left after ejaculating inside me. I was left in a humiliating position. I wished for death. I was bleeding,” Wajdi added.
He continued, “Later, they untied me and brought a dog, which also raped me. On the same day, I was raped at least twice more after being tied to the bed. One of the soldiers put his penis in my mouth and then urinated on me. The rape was repeated two days later by three soldiers. I was in very poor physical and mental health.”
According to testimonies documented by Euro-Med Monitor, men and boys have endured extremely brutal sexual abuse designed to violate their dignity and physical integrity. This abuse includes rape with hard objects like metal rods, wooden sticks, and fire extinguisher nozzles, resulting in severe and dangerous anal and intestinal injuries.
Detainees were also subjected to electric shocks and were hit directly in the crotch with hands or military boots. These abuses led to documented cases of permanent physical injuries, including loss of reproductive or excretory functions, removal of testicles, and, in some cases, death under torture.
Documented testimonies obtained by Euro-Med Monitor indicate that the targeting of detainees’ genitals formed part of a systematic policy of sexual violence and torture aimed at deliberate humiliation, the infliction of permanent physical and psychological harm, and the impairment of reproductive capacity.