According to Aljazeera News, a Palestinian man identified only as Mohammed has detailed harrowing accounts of torture at an Israeli detention centre, alleging that guards stripped detainees and unleashed attack dogs on them during interrogation sessions.
His testimony features in a new Al Jazeera investigation, Bodies of Evidence: Israel’s Darkest Weapon, which examines systematic sexual violence and torture against Palestinian prisoners.
Mohammed, a former detainee held without trial for several months, described repeated incidents of humiliation and physical brutality. He told investigators that prisoners were bound, blindfolded, and subjected to canine attacks while Israeli personnel looked on.
“After we were stripped, they used dogs on us, we were crying and screaming, Mohammed recounted in the documentary, his voice trembling. “There was no crime, there was no charge, just pain.
The Al Jazeera report, compiles testimonies from multiple former detainees, medical records, and leaked internal documents, alleging a pattern of abuse that includes electric shocks, sleep deprivation, and sexual assault. The investigation claims these practices are deployed systematically, rather than as isolated incidents.
Israel’s Prison Service strongly rejected the allegations, calling them baseless fabrications and stating that all detainees are treated in accordance with international law. A spokesperson added that any complaints of misconduct are investigated internally. The military also dismissed the report as propaganda aimed at delegitimizing Israeli security operations.
Human rights groups, including B’Tselem and Amnesty International, have long documented abuses in Israeli military facilities, particularly against Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank. However, Israel maintains that its detention protocols are necessary counter-terrorism measures and that prisoners have access to legal recourse.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for an independent inquiry, citing deeply troubling patterns. Israel has refused to cooperate with UN investigations, accusing the body of bias.
Mohammed, now released but still bearing scars, told Al Jazeera he hopes his testimony will hold someone accountable. “I want the world to see what they did to us, he said. “We are not numbers, we are people.
The documentary has drawn sharp international attention, with calls for the International Criminal Court to expedite its ongoing examination of alleged war crimes in the occupied territories. Israel has not yet formally responded to the ICC’s jurisdiction.
