Palestinian Territory – 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.
A soldier raped me. I felt severe pain in my anus and screamed, but every time I screamed, I was beaten. The soldier left after ejaculating inside me
43-year-old Wajdi, A former detainee who spent a year in detention
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.
Consistent testimonies describe soldiers forcing detainees to strip naked and spread their legs before assaulting their genitals with hard objects, including metal rods, rifle butts, and other tools, in addition to punching and kicking them directly in the testicles. Multiple reports also reveal that soldiers repeatedly assaulted detainees' sensitive body parts. This included squeezing testicles with excessive force during interrogations, using clamps, attaching weights to genitals for prolonged periods, and electrocuting them in sensitive areas.
These practices have led to catastrophic medical consequences in documented cases, including severe bleeding, haematuria, chronic pain that hinders movement and sitting, and, in some instances, severe rupture requiring the surgical removal of a testicle, loss of consciousness, and other serious complications. This targeted violence is often accompanied by other sexually humiliating practices, most notably forced nudity during searches or interrogations, as well as verbal and physical harassment using obscene language, which deepens the victim's sense of helplessness and humiliation.
Since 7 October 2023, Palestinian women and girls from Gaza have faced systematic and institutionalised sexual violence. This pattern includes forced public stripping, physical harassment, threats of rape used as psychological pressure and for extracting confessions, and repeated rapes at gunpoint.
In one testimony documented by Euro-Med Monitor, 48-year-old A. J., who was detained for over a year, said: "During my interrogation, I was beaten, including on my testicles."
"When I answered questions with 'I don't know', the interrogator pressed hard on my testicles and attempted to insert an object into my penis. I experienced intense pain," he added. "On one occasion, when he pressed on my testicles, I lost consciousness. When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a hospital, handcuffed. I later learned that my testicles had been removed, leaving me in a severe psychological state."
In parallel with physical destruction, torture against Palestinians seeks to inflict comprehensive "psychological destruction" that strikes at the foundations of the human personality. In this context, sexual violence is medically and legally recognised as one of the most severe causes of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). Through this practice, the perpetrator seeks to engineer a state of "complete dissociation," compelling the victim to escape unbearable pain through acute defence mechanisms such as shock, panic attacks, and emotional detachment, resulting in fragmentation of consciousness and perception and a profound insecurity.
Over time, this trauma becomes entrenched, developing into chronic psychotic and behavioural symptoms that impede the resumption of normal life. Survivors remain burdened by "intrusive memories" that relive moments of torture as if occurring in the present, accompanied by acute depression, severe insomnia, and suicidal thoughts perceived as the only escape from a persistent sense of guilt and shame.
This destruction extends beyond the individual to erode social and gender identity, as victims live in a state of "chronic fear" of renewed abuse even after release. This fear paralyses them, restricts their ability to work or study, and drives them into forced isolation. For men, sexual violence is used to "de-masculinise" them and instil helplessness, while for women it seeks to impose "social stigma," leading to the breakdown of family relationships and withdrawal from society.
With the scale of violations growing, the report shows that the Israeli justice system has not functioned as an effective mechanism for accountability. Rather, it has been historically and systematically employed to entrench impunity for crimes committed against Palestinians, effectively making the judiciary the first line of defence for Israeli violations and their perpetrators.
Nevertheless, this structural failure is especially clear in the detention and prison system, where judicial and oversight mechanisms often serve as a procedural cover that undermines independent oversight, normalises torture, and grants investigators and system administrators practical immunity.
The systematic crimes of torture and sexual violence committed against Palestinian prisoners and detainees cannot be separated from the legal and institutional cover provided by the Israeli 'justice' system.
The available data do not point to an incidental procedural failure or a lack of capacity, but rather a structural failure in the 'will' to conduct serious investigations and effective prosecutions, turning internal investigations into formal procedures designed to create the appearance of accountability while preventing any real consequences and ensuring the practical protection of the perpetrators and the chain of command, rather than seeking the truth or justice for the victims.
Historically, data indicate that indictments against soldiers in cases of crimes against Palestinians have not exceeded 0.81 per cent of all complaints filed, a pattern that has been exacerbated during the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli response to soldiers' gang rape of a Palestinian detainee from the Gaza Strip at Sde Teiman exemplifies what can be termed the "structural immunity" of Israeli perpetrators of crimes against the Palestinians. This case highlights how the judicial and military systems are often employed to contain damage, suppress the crime's repercussions, and minimise responsibility rather than uncovering the truth and ensuring justice that results in accountability and redress for victims.
In a previous report published in May 2024, Euro-Med Monitor documented around 100 testimonies describing at least 40 different torture methods used against detainees. These included severe and ongoing beatings, forced shackling, deprivation of sleep, food, and water, exposure to degrading and inhumane detention conditions, and persistent threats, along with verbal and psychological abuse.
These practices also encompassed different types of sexual torture and gender-based violence, such as forced nudity, sexual harassment, threats of rape, and direct genital mutilation. They occurred in a systematic context that cannot be separated from a wider policy aimed at eradicating the Palestinian community and are part of acts committed within the framework of genocide.
Based on documented facts and testimonies, analysed in light of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law, it is clear that the sexual violence and torture carried out by the Israeli authorities against Palestinian prisoners and detainees are not accidental or isolated acts. They constitute a systematic pattern of grave international violations and crimes that meet the material and mental elements of multiple offences under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the four Geneva Conventions, and other relevant international instruments.
The documented practices, including the infliction of severe physical or mental pain or suffering, systematic humiliation, forced nudity, and sexual assault, constitute acts that fall within the scope of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as defined in the Convention against Torture. They also constitute the crime of torture under the Rome Statute when its elements are met.
The practices committed against Palestinian prisoners and detainees, when all elements are met, constitute rape and other forms of sexual violence as defined in international criminal law, including Articles 7 and 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
In the context of armed conflict and occupation, these acts also constitute war crimes. They are grave violations that include torture, inhuman treatment, the intentional infliction of severe pain or serious injury to body or health, and attacks on personal dignity through degrading and humiliating treatment, such as non-consensual filming in humiliating positions or the use of sexual humiliation as a means of control and subjugation.
Given their widespread and systematic nature, these violations also constitute crimes against humanity, as they were committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population and were committed in implementation of or in furtherance of a state policy.
In the most serious legal characterisation, these practices cannot be viewed in isolation from the general context of the attack on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. Data indicates that some documented patterns of sexual violence and torture exceed their traditional description and fall within the scope of genocide, affecting the physical existence of the Palestinian community in the Gaza Strip through two interrelated material elements: The element relating to causing serious bodily or mental harm, which has been achieved through acts that go beyond cruel treatment and lead to serious harm and the actual destruction of the physical and mental integrity of members of the group.
Accordingly, Euro-Med Monitor urgently calls on the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to explicitly include the crime of genocide within the scope of its ongoing investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine as the primary legal framework for the Gaza Strip, and to open an expedited, dedicated investigation into the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, in whole or in part.
In this context, the Office should also accelerate its investigations and give operational priority to torture and sexual violence in detention centres and prisons, including the implementation of its 2014 Policy Paper on Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes, treating rape and other forms of sexual violence as substantive crimes and as key evidence of criminal intent in broader crimes where the context and pattern show their use to destroy the Palestinian community and inflict serious physical or mental harm.
In parallel, States Parties to the Rome Statute must fully cooperate with the Court by facilitating the collection of evidence, protecting witnesses, and executing arrest warrants. Since international crimes are not shielded by official capacity, functional or personal immunities, and are not subject to statutes of limitations, States must prosecute anyone who contributed to or facilitated their commission, including through direct perpetration, issuing orders, incitement, providing means, or wilful failure to prevent or punish within the chain of command.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor urges States Parties to the Rome Statute to activate their national jurisdiction to hold suspects who are their nationals or residents, including Israelis with dual nationality, accountable for crimes committed outside their territory. In parallel, States that apply the principle of universal jurisdiction should immediately initiate independent, structured criminal investigations into crimes of torture and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees and allocate adequate resources to prosecution teams to collect and preserve evidence in line with international standards. This should lead to the issuance of national and international arrest warrants against direct perpetrators and those in the chain of command whenever there are reasonable grounds to believe they are responsible, alongside preventive and precautionary measures and strengthened mutual judicial cooperation to ensure that perpetrators do not escape punishment in the absence of domestic accountability.
The United Nations must list the Israeli army and its security agencies in the annex to the UN Secretary-General's annual report on conflict-related sexual violence, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions, particularly 1820 and 1960. This is warranted by reliable information and documentary evidence of systematic sexual violence in detention and operational contexts, requiring activation of monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence and ensuring that these violations are recorded in the UN system as a distinct pattern, not merely as a by-product of other abuses.
This measure is crucial to filling a classification gap. Previous UN listings of the Israeli army under the children and armed conflict agenda focused on killing, maiming and attacks on facilities, without explicitly recognising sexual violence as a separate criterion. The scope of inclusion should therefore be expanded to explicitly cover sexual violence, ensuring that Israeli forces are subject to the relevant requirements on monitoring, transparency, and preventive and restrictive measures, thereby strengthening accountability and preventing recurrence.
Finally, the international community, including the United Nations, must urgently mobilise funding to establish comprehensive medical, psychological and social treatment programmes for survivors, designed and implemented in line with international standards on the documentation of torture and rehabilitation, including the Istanbul Protocol. These programmes should be gender- and culturally-sensitive and tailored to the needs of the most vulnerable groups. It must also establish effective mechanisms to protect victims, witnesses and their families from threats and reprisals. This includes confidential communication and referral channels, as well as strict identity and data protection measures, to ensure that testimonies can be documented and shared with international accountability bodies without exposing those involved to further risks to their lives or safety.
Full report
