‘We Returned From Hell’: Palestinian Journalists Recount Torture, Rape, and Starvation in Israeli Prisons

Testimonies from Palestinian journalists detained by Israeli authorities paint a disturbing picture of abuse inside Israel’s prison system, raising urgent questions about oversight, accountability, and the treatment of media workers in the occupied territories.

A report published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) compiles firsthand accounts from former detainees who say they were subjected to beatings, stress positions, prolonged blindfolding, and threats during interrogation. Several allege sexual assault or sexualized humiliation. Others describe being held in isolation for weeks at a time.

One recurring claim is deliberate deprivation. Detainees say food portions were drastically reduced, medical treatment was withheld, and basic hygiene supplies were restricted. Some describe rapid weight loss and untreated injuries. Family visits and access to lawyers were, in certain cases, suspended for extended periods.

Many of those interviewed were held under administrative detention, a system that allows incarceration without formal charges or trial.

The journalists quoted in the report believe they were targeted because of their work documenting Israeli military operations and settler violence in the West Bank and Gaza. Of the 59 journalists interviewed for the report, 58 testified to “torture, abuse or other forms of violence.” The detainees were routinely beaten, subjected to electric shocks, forced into prolonged stress positions, starved, and at least two were raped by the Israelis.

“These are not isolated incidents. Across dozens of cases, CPJ documented a recurring set of abuse – from beating to starvation, sexual violence, and medical neglect –directed at journalists because of their work. They expose a deliberate strategy to intimidate and silence journalists, and destroy their ability to bear witness. The continued silence from the international community only enables this.”
– Sara Qudah, CPJ Regional Director

Human rights organizations have for years documented allegations of mistreatment in Israeli custody, including physical coercion during interrogations and poor prison conditions. What distinguishes these new accounts is their focus on journalists and the claim that punishment extended beyond interrogation into daily confinement.

Read or download the report below:

©TNPP