Violations in Magiddo Prison: From Starvation to Rape

Testimonies Reveal the Ongoing Suffering of Palestinian Prisoners”... The Time for Accountability Has Come

Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation, prisons have been a central tool for oppressing Palestinians and attempting to break their will, serving as a means of systematic collective punishment. Over the decades, Israeli prisons and detention centers have not merely been places of incarceration, but arenas of systematic torture, both physical and psychological, and the denial of the most basic human rights. Conditions in these prisons have reached unprecedented levels of cruelty since October 7, 2023, amid the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. The prison authorities have launched sweeping retaliatory policies, including deliberate medical neglect, systematic torture, suspension of visits, drastic reductions in food and water, confiscation of basic necessities, and complete isolation from the outside world.

The daily life of prisoners has become a series of targeted punitive measures, following a clear strategy aimed at crushing morale and deepening isolation, blatantly violating international law and humanitarian standards. This escalation is not a one-time event, but a consistent pattern entrenched by the occupation authorities as part of an integrated system of collective punishment. The practices in Magiddo Prison, in particular, stand as a stark example of this growing trend.

Magiddo Prison is among the harshest of Israeli prisons in terms of living conditions and the continuous abuse inflicted on Palestinian prisoners. Detainees of various categories are held in Magiddo, including Palestinian minors under the age of 18, elderly prisoners suffering from chronic illnesses under dire conditions, administrative detainees without trial, and both pre-trial and sentenced prisoners. The prison includes a special isolation section holding prominent leaders such as Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Sa’adat, along with many others subjected to severe solitary confinement. Another section has detainees from Gaza, including children enduring tragic conditions at every level.

Prisoners in Magiddo suffer severely due to extreme overcrowding, with sections far exceeding their capacity. They live in cramped cells that fail to meet even the most basic standards of human life, worsening their physical, mental, and psychological health. Since the onset of the assault on the Palestinian people, eight prisoners have died in Magiddo or after being transferred to other hospitals or prisons, deaths directly linked to deliberate medical neglect, torture, and beatings, especially in Magiddo, where serious untreated skin diseases are also widespread.

The prison administration has systematically imposed hunger and thirst policies. As a result, prisoners have lost noticeable amounts of weight, and basic hygiene products have been withdrawn, turning daily life into real suffering. This crisis is worsened by the imposition of arbitrary restrictions on lawyer visits, which now require complicated conditions, depriving detainees of their legal rights. Testimonies from child prisoners describe harsh physical abuse, including the use of police dogs, ongoing raids, and severe beatings, all part of a deliberate campaign of physical and psychological violations.

Among the most egregious examples is the death of detainee Abdul Rahman Ahmad Muhammad Mar’i (33) from the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan, northwest of Salfit. He was killed in Magiddo Prison on November 13, 2023, after being subjected to brutal torture and deliberate medical neglect. Mar’i was arrested on February 25, 2023, held without trial, married, and a father of four. He suffered severe facial and upper body injuries after beatings and was placed in solitary confinement without receiving medical care, leading to his death days later, which is a clear example of the systematic violations inside Israeli prisons, particularly Magiddo.

Less than two months later, Abdul Rahman Basem Al-Bahsh (23) from Nablus was also killed in Magiddo Prison on January 1, 2024, after 18 months in detention. He was arrested on May 31, 2022, and sentenced to 35 months. Preliminary forensic reports indicate his death was caused by systematic torture and deliberate medical neglect by prison authorities, making him yet another victim of the continuous violations in Magiddo.

Similarly, the occupation authorities announced the death of Walid Khaled Abdullah Ahmad (born 2007) from Silwad on March 24, 2025, inside Magiddo Prison due to systematic starvation and denial of treatment after contracting a stomach infection. The preliminary autopsy confirmed that Walid suffered from severe malnutrition and poor health, indicating deliberate neglect and lack of even basic medical care. His death, as the youngest martyr in Israeli prisons, reflects a grave escalation in medical crimes against child prisoners and the prison administration’s persistent pursuit of slow execution policies, regardless of age or health condition.

One prisoner was subjected to brutal torture, including forced rape using tools and rubber batons repeatedly inserted into his rectum, accompanied by severe beatings and degrading insults. These violations caused internal injuries and prolonged bleeding for over three weeks, without any medical treatment or care, according to his testimony.
This horrific abuse adds to the systematic crimes committed against detainees in Magiddo, clearly showing the scale of physical and psychological torture and reinforcing the urgent need for accountability for those responsible for such repressive policies in Israeli prisons.

The suffering of the child detainee (S. A.), arrested in August 2024, does not differ much from that of other prisoners in Magiddo. He was repeatedly assaulted and beaten, severely deprived of food, clothing, and medical services, with increasing repression over time. Despite his deteriorating health, medical neglect and violence remained part of his daily life, leading to a loss of 17 kilograms of body weight.
He recounts:

“We were allowed out for 15 minutes a day, sometimes only for searches. Every time, we were strip-searched and beaten on the genitals. I lost 17 kilograms during detention. The food was always scarce and bad.”

In the most recent act of slow execution in Magiddo, Ahmad Saeed Saleh Tazaz’a (20) from Qabatiya, south of Jenin, died on August 3, 2025, less than three months after being administratively detained on May 6, 2025, without charge or trial. Ahmad had no prior health conditions, making his death additional evidence of the dangerous policies pursued by the prison administration including starvation, medical neglect, and denial of basic rights.
His death adds to the rising number of victims in Magiddo, bringing the total to 76 prisoner martyrs since October 7, 2023, including 46 prisoners from Gaza. All cases share patterns of systematic violence and medical neglect, confirming the implementation of a policy of collective slow execution against Palestinian prisoners.

These ongoing slow-execution crimes, especially in Magiddo Prison, underscore the urgent need for comprehensive and immediate legal accountability for all responsible officials.
Addameer calls for the prosecution of Israeli decision-makers, including the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, the Director of the Israel Prison Service Kobi Yaakobi, and all prison directors, particularly the Director of Magiddo Prison.