On September 7, prominent Israeli Rabbi Meir Mazuz, with ties to Prime Minister Netanyahu, was filmed blessing a soldier accused of raping Palestinian prisoners from Gaza. Rabbi Mazuz reportedly dismissed the victim's claims and questioned whether such acts are justifiable.

What is said :

Rabbi Meir Mazuz told the soldier he would be found "completely innocent."

"What did you do? Beat the enemy? So what?" the rabbi is seen telling the soldier, who wore a black mask and did not show his face.

"Be a brave soldier and do not fear the goyim [non-Jews]. The Torah says: ‘You shall not fear them.’ Don’t be afraid of the United Nations," the rabbi continues.

The soldier’s attorney made claims to the rabbi that they had proof the Palestinian victim was lying, saying that they brought medical professor Alon Pikarsky, who previously operated on Netanyahu, to examine the victim.

"He [Pikarsky] provided a medical opinion stating the terrorist is a liar," the soldier’s attorney claimed.

Israel’s Channel 14 had previously broadcast that medical opinion by Pikarsky which alleges the Palestinian prisoner raped himself.

Unbothered by this, the rabbi responds: "And if it were true? Don’t we have the right to act this way?" to which the attorney agrees.

Context : Rape Cases in the Detention Center Sde Teiman

The case involves ten Israeli soldiers accused of raping a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman Prison in the Negev desert.

A shocking video surfaced last month showing Israeli soldiers raping a Palestinian prisoner at the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility.The video, which has been verified by news organisations including Al Jazeera, shows a Palestinian prisoner being taken to a wall before he is gang raped by soldiers shielding their face. Israeli media reported the attack was so violent that the victim was not able to walk after and was transferred to a hospital.

Protests, led by MK far-right members and activits, erupted at the detention facility and military courts, attempting to obstruct the investigation.

Dehumanisation of Palestinians:

The rabbi’s comments and recent footage of Israelis mocking the destruction of Gaza highlight systemic dehumanisation of Palestinians. Israeli leaders have described Palestinians as "human animals," reflecting a pattern of rhetoric that strips them of their humanity.

Israel is under investigation by the International Court of Justice for genocide, with over 40,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza.

Dehumanisation, a key stage of genocide, enables discrimination, violence, and mass killings by portraying targeted groups as less than human. Dehumanisation precedes genocides throughout history, conditioning societies to accept atrocities by erasing empathy for the targeted group. It paves the way for ethnic cleansing, mass killings, and other forms of collective violence.

**Sources : ** 1 2

Various NGO investigations

On October 25, 2023, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, HaMoked, Adalah, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice (HCJ) to stop the violation of the basic rights of Palestinian “security” prisoners who had been arrested and tried before the war. The organizations argued that the emergency policy in this matter has been established contrary to the Prison Ordinance, and causes severe and ongoing harm to the health and minimal living conditions of the prisoners, which the State in obligated to provide.

In the petition, the organizations address

• the prolonged denial of the prisoners’ right to talk with their attorneys,
• the hours-long disconnection of electricity and water supplies,
• the denial of access to medical treatment and more; this, alongside reports of severe violence. The organizations stated that this policy which amounts to cruel punishment, has been implemented with complete lack of transparency, pursuant to orders issued in obscurity, without making public the aims and contents of this policy.

In the petition, the organizations claimed that protection of prisoners’ rights and the prevention of arbitrary denial of rights, also and especially in times of war, is a vital condition for the preservation of a civilized society, which also protects the rights of those who have transgressed against it.

Source

On November 23, 2023, the High Court of Justice dismissed a petition by HaMoked and human rights groups to reverse harsh conditions imposed on Palestinian security prisoners after the outbreak of war. The petition was rejected without a hearing, leaving prisoners without judicial protection of their rights.

Severe Prison Conditions:

• Prisoners face overcrowding,
• limited water,
• restricted access to daily yard time and showers,
• inadequate food,
• bans on purchasing essential items,
• Many prisoners have lost 20–40 kilograms due to insufficient food,
• Contact with family, lawyers, and external entities (e.g., ICRC) is severely restricted.
• Courts dismissed numerous prisoner petitions without thorough review, often citing procedural grounds. Some cases were dismissed due to prisoner transfers or releases, requiring new petitions for similar conditions in other facilities.

State Promises Unmet: Despite State declarations allowing minimal yard time (1 hour) and short showers (15 minutes), implementation remains inconsistent. Essential hygiene products and adequate food remain insufficient in many cases.

Supreme Court Appeals: HaMoked submitted multiple appeals, three of which were rejected.Justice Kabub noted potential for future petitions to challenge the Israel Prison Service’s (IPS) failure to meet obligations, signaling possible shifts in burden of proof. Source

In its August 2024 report, 'Welcome to Hell: The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps', the Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem collects the testimonies of 55 released prisoners and relatives of inmates who point out the mistreatment to which Palestinian prisoners are subjected.

(Archivist's clarification: the English spelling of Moazzaz Obayat's name varies enormously. Articles name him Moaz, Moiz, Muazzaz Moazzaz,.. and his surname is spelled Obayyat, Obayat, Obaiat, Abayat, Abayad.. We opted for the following spelling: Moazzaz Obayat).

On October 2024, an article is released on Haaretz

https://archive.ph/vlgvi

On November 20, 2024 Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt :

"Multiple reports appeared this year have revealed shocking facts and abuses at the Sde Teiman detention center, where Palestinians kidnapped in Gaza are held without charge/trial, reportedly mistreated, abused and even raped. Despite the serious allegations, in September the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled to keep Sde Teiman open, while instructing compliance with the Detainees' Rights Law (which does not stand int'l law scrutiny).

Two important considerations:

1. There is an urgent call for @ICRC, the European Union, and other officials to inspect any Israeli facilities where Palestinians are detained, reportedly mistreated/brutally abused and often killed.

2. While the reported facts about the treatment of Palestinian detainees may qualify as war crimes & crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute, they should be considered holistically as part of the totality of conduct revealing the intent of a state to commit genocide. This is discussed in my recent report to the UN: Genocide as Colonial Erasure."

On November 24 Hebrew newspaper Haaretz: A quarter of Palestinian prisoners have been infected with scabies in recent months following a widespread outbreak in occupation prisons. source :

On December 23, 2024

+972mag released the investigation article "‘My hands are paralyzed from torture’: Gazans reveal horrors of Ofer Camp" sheds light on the brutal conditions faced by Palestinian detainees at Israel’s Ofer Camp, a facility established during the ongoing conflict. Testimonies from detainees, shared with Israeli human rights group HaMoked, describe severe physical abuse, including regular beatings, electric shocks, and handcuffing for 24 hours a day.

• Detainees are subjected to forced kneeling, beatings, and electric shocks, with minimal food and hygiene.
• The camp, located in the West Bank, is home to Palestinians classified as “unlawful combatants” and is part of Israel's detention system for individuals accused of supporting terrorism.
• Lawyers report that detainees are often subjected to long periods of shackling and overcrowded cells, leading to significant health issues, including skin diseases and extreme weight loss.
• Many detainees, like Rami, are released without charges after enduring intense physical and psychological suffering.
• Despite Israeli claims that conditions comply with legal standards, testimonies highlight systemic torture and violation of detainees’ rights.
• One detainee, Rafiq, reported that his hands became paralyzed due to torture, and others suffer from severe physical and mental trauma. The conditions have drawn international concern, although media coverage of Ofer Camp remains limited.

source