Comment issued by the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society regarding the UN Secretary-General's letter warning of the Israeli occupation's commission of crimes of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees in its prisons

August 14, 2025

Ramallah, occupied Palestine – In a comment issued today, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society affirmed the warning letter sent by the UN Secretary-General regarding documented information about the Israeli occupation state's commission of crimes of sexual violence against Palestinian political detainees in its prisons, detention centers, and military bases, and the potential inclusion of the occupying state on the UN blacklist of countries that commit such crimes in conflict zones. The PPS emphasized that merely issuing warnings and expressing concern and alarm is no longer acceptable, given the ongoing war of genocide and comprehensive aggression against the Palestinian people.

The PPS added that the systematic crimes perpetrated by the occupation's prison system against Palestinian detainees represents one of the most dangerous aspects of this ongoing genocide. This requires the international human rights system to take immediate and effective action and restore its role, which has been undermined by the systematic impotence that has existed since the beginning of the genocide until today.

The documented violations against prisoners, monitored by relevant human rights organizations, have gone beyond description. These violations begin with systematic torture, which has deviated from the traditional legal framework, with everything in the prisons and military camps transformed into a tool for torture. They continue with the series of violations that begin from the moment of arrest.

The testimonies collected by human rights organizations, particularly from detainees abducted from Gaza, constitute compelling evidence of these crimes, including sexual crimes. We note here the leaked video documenting the rape of a detainee from Gaza by occupation soldiers in the Sde Teiman military camp, a camp that has become a symbol of systematic torture crimes. Similar testimonies have been documented in other prisons regarding these crimes, which have resulted in the killing of 76 political prisoners since the start of the genocide. These are only the ones who have been identified, while dozens more remain forcibly disappeared.

Since the beginning of genocide, the occupation has escalated its criminal policies against thousands of prisoners, using torture, starvation, and denial of medical treatment. These crimes aim to inflict slow death, erase their humanity, and impose collective punishments that constitute a flagrant violation of all international conventions and laws.

The PPS emphasizes that international silence and mere warnings provide the occupation with cover to continue committing its crimes, and turn the international human rights system into a helpless witness to the crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, in accordance with the provisions of international humanitarian law.