Inside Israel’s prisons, where Ben-Gvir’s cruelty is policy

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Palestinian prisoners and detainees are being held in harsh conditions in Israeli detention facilities under the authority of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The article centers on testimonies from former prisoner and photojournalist Muath Amarneh, who described beatings, humiliation, poor sanitation, limited medical care and prolonged administrative detention. The piece also cites Palestinian rights group Addameer, which says the number of administrative detainees has risen sharply since October 7, 2023.

According to Al Jazeera, Ben-Gvir has recently posted social media videos showing prison conditions and confronting detainees, including footage he framed as proof of tougher treatment. The report says one AI-generated video and another clip of him addressing female prisoners drew criticism, including comparisons to Nazi concentration camps in the case of the AI post. Ben-Gvir’s office is presented as overseeing the prison system, with the article arguing that his tenure has intensified existing practices rather than created them from scratch.

The story also includes legal and humanitarian context. A lawyer formerly with Addameer said restrictions on visits, access for lawyers and basic supplies increased after the war in Gaza began, while health clinics were closed and prison raids became more frequent. The article says Amarneh was detained twice without charge, lost significant weight and experienced serious health problems in custody. It notes that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found his first detention unlawful, though the report says such findings have limited practical effect on Israeli authorities.