Al Jazeera has reported allegations from Palestinian detainees and rights experts describing widespread sexual violence and torture in Israeli detention facilities, following testimonies gathered as part of its investigative documentary “Bodies of Evidence: Israel’s Darkest Weapon.”
According to testimonies published by Al Jazeera, former Palestinian detainees from Gaza have alleged severe abuse, including sexual assault, torture, beatings, forced nudity, and humiliation during detention by Israeli forces. One detainee, identified as Muhammad al-Bakri, described being arrested in 2024 and held for weeks before being subjected to sexual violence alongside other prisoners.
He alleged that detainees were blindfolded, bound, stripped, and assaulted, while soldiers allegedly used dogs and filmed the abuse. Another detainee cited in the investigation said he was similarly subjected to sexual violence while in custody, including abuse involving objects, and reported that soldiers documented the incidents.
The report, based on interviews conducted by Al Jazeera, also cites testimony from additional former detainees who described patterns of physical and psychological torture, including beatings, forced humiliation, and threats of sexual violence during interrogation.
Al Jazeera’s investigation further references statements from United Nations officials and human rights organisations, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, who has described allegations of sexual violence in detention as part of a broader pattern of abuse requiring independent investigation. Rights groups such as B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights have also documented allegations of mistreatment in Israeli detention facilities.
The report states that a UN inquiry published in 2025 found indications of “systematic” sexual and gender-based violence in the context of the conflict, while Israel has repeatedly rejected or disputed such allegations. Israeli authorities have previously denied claims of systematic abuse and maintain that military detention operations comply with legal standards.
Al Jazeera reports that no confirmed convictions have been recorded in relation to alleged sexual abuse cases, although isolated investigations have been opened in specific incidents.
The investigation also highlights broader political and legal debates, with international law experts cited by Al Jazeera arguing that systematic abuse in detention, if proven, could constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, depending on scale and institutional involvement.
Israeli officials have previously rejected such characterisations, calling similar allegations politically motivated and denying systematic wrongdoing.
The report situates these allegations within the wider context of the ongoing conflict and detention practices in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, where thousands of Palestinians have been detained under military and administrative detention systems since October 2023.