“Another genocide behind walls”: Sexual violence in Israeli prisons and detention centres and engineered impunity (October 2023 – October 2025) by Euromed Human Rights Monitor

Once transferred to detention and interrogation centres, prisoners and detainees encounter a system that functions as state-run torture camps, where they face severe violations that include systematic sexual violence as a means of subjugation and destruction. Based on corroborating testimonies supporting this report, these violations extend beyond sexual harassment to include rape, rape with objects, the use of police dogs in sexual assaults, and ongoing forced nudity. These abuses are accompanied by deliberate starvation and medical neglect, which have, in some cases, caused permanent injuries such as amputation and death under torture. These acts are classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity and are central to ongoing genocide, as they serve to inflict serious physical or mental harm on members of the Palestinian community in the Gaza Strip.

…According to the findings of the International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, sexual and other forms of gender-based violence, whether targeting women, men, boys or girls, were not only committed to humiliate the immediate victims and profoundly demean their dignity, but also to punish and destroy the entire Palestinian people, in flagrant violation of the Genocide Convention.^[4]

This report aims to systematically document crimes of sexual violence and torture committed during detention, including related acts that, depending on their context and elements, qualify as serious international crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. It tracks the patterns of violations and their physical and psychological impacts on victims, families, and communities. Moreover, it delves into the ‘structure of institutional collusion,’ emphasising the medical system’s role in ‘legitimising torture’ and erasing criminal evidence, alongside the judicial system’s role in eroding accountability and blocking redress. The report concludes with targeted recommendations for urgent actions and accountability measures at both national and international levels, including avenues before the International Criminal Court, to halt abuses and secure justice for victims.