Global Campaign Launched to End Sexual Violence Against Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Prisons

Ramallah, Occupied West Bank / PNN /
Palestinian prisoners' organizations announced Tuesday the launch of an international campaign aimed at ending sexual violence against Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli prisons, saying such abuses constitute a systematic policy that requires urgent international accountability to end impunity.
The campaign was launched during a news conference at Al-Bireh Municipality Hall in the central occupied West Bank, attended by representatives of Palestinian prisoners' organizations, human rights groups and several former prisoners who said they had been subjected to sexual violence, including rape, while in Israeli detention.
The organizations said the campaign comes amid what they described as an unprecedented escalation in abuses against Palestinian prisoners since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, alleging that Israeli prisons have become sites of systematic torture, starvation, humiliation and physical, psychological and sexual abuse. They said the allegations are supported by hundreds of testimonies and affidavits collected by Palestinian institutions.
According to the organizers, the campaign seeks to break the silence surrounding sexual violence against prisoners by encouraging survivors to speak publicly, providing them with safe platforms to share their experiences and using those testimonies to support legal and human rights efforts aimed at holding those responsible accountable before international judicial mechanisms.
The organizations stressed that sexual violence should not be viewed as isolated incidents committed by individual prison personnel, but rather as part of a broader system of abuse carried out by Israeli authorities against Palestinian detainees. They argued that the continued absence of international accountability has encouraged the persistence and escalation of such violations.
The campaign will focus on presenting victims' testimonies before international legal and human rights bodies while supporting efforts to pursue accountability through international courts and institutions. Organizers said they also aim to challenge what they described as the political and judicial protection provided by Israeli authorities to those accused of committing such abuses.
During the conference, Helmi Al-Araj, director of the Center for the Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights (Hurriyat Center), said sexual crimes against Palestinian prisoners continue in the absence of accountability and justice, arguing that such abuses cannot be separated from the wider pattern of violations committed against Palestinian detainees.
Al-Araj said the current phase requires amplifying the voices of survivors and pursuing legal action against Israeli authorities, alleging that Israel not only commits these crimes but also shields those responsible through political and legal protection. He described the testimonies presented by former prisoners as part of a broader legal effort to document abuses, seek justice for victims and expose conditions inside Israeli prisons.
Raed Abu Al-Hummos, head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees' and Ex-Detainees' Affairs, said the treatment of Palestinian prisoners reflects what he described as the wider assault on the Palestinian people, adding that conditions inside Israeli prisons have deteriorated significantly since the start of the war in Gaza through increased use of torture, starvation and deprivation of basic rights.
Abu Al-Hummos said Palestinian institutions have managed to document a substantial body of evidence despite the difficult circumstances, describing the collected testimonies as an important foundation for future legal accountability efforts. He praised former prisoners who chose to publicly recount their experiences despite the psychological and social consequences of doing so.
Amin Shoman, head of the Higher National Commission for Follow-up of Prisoners' Affairs, said the campaign was launched in response to what he described as an unprecedented increase in cases of rape and sexual harassment against Palestinian prisoners.
He said many victims remain unwilling to speak publicly because of the trauma they experienced and fears of social stigma, adding that one of the campaign's primary goals is to support survivors while bringing their cases before the international community. Shoman said Palestinian organizations intend to continue documenting abuses and raising international awareness in an effort to increase pressure for accountability.
Abdullah Al-Zighari, president of the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS), said the organization, together with the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and other human rights institutions, has collected hundreds of testimonies and documents over the past three years concerning alleged abuses inside Israeli prisons.
Al-Zighari said torture, physical abuse, starvation, denial of medical care and sexual violence represent systematic practices rather than isolated incidents. He argued that decades of impunity have enabled such violations to continue and called on the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities by taking concrete action to hold those responsible accountable.
The conference also featured testimony from former prisoner Sami Al-Sa'i, who said he was speaking not only about his own experience but also on behalf of hundreds of former prisoners who continue to live with the psychological and social consequences of sexual violence.
Al-Sa'i said many survivors remain silent because of trauma and social stigma, describing breaking that silence as an essential step toward restoring victims' dignity and pursuing justice.
Former prisoner Yousef Amayreh, the campaign's general coordinator, also shared his testimony, saying the suffering experienced by prisoners subjected to sexual violence cannot be fully expressed in words. He said such abuses continue inside Israeli prisons and should not be regarded as isolated incidents but as part of a systematic pattern of abuse.
Amayreh questioned what he described as double standards within the international community, asking whether similar crimes would have received a different response had the victims belonged to other nationalities. He called for urgent international intervention to halt the alleged violations and prosecute those responsible.
Amayreh's wife also addressed the conference, saying sexual violence affects not only prisoners themselves but also their families, who endure long-term psychological and social consequences. She said spouses and children often bear the burden of the trauma in silence and emphasized the need for greater support for victims' families.
Concluding the event, the participating organizations said the launch of the campaign marks the beginning of a long-term international effort to expose alleged sexual violence against Palestinian political prisoners, build a comprehensive legal case based on documented evidence and survivors' testimonies, and pursue accountability through international legal mechanisms.
The organizations said the alleged sexual violence constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and called on the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, relevant U.N. mechanisms and states party to the Geneva Conventions to take urgent action to protect Palestinian prisoners, open independent investigations into the allegations and end what they described as the longstanding policy of impunity. They pledged to continue international advocacy efforts until justice and accountability are achieved for victims. ...