News / Palestine

Israel denies water, food to Palestinian prisoners amid 'routine' violence

Friday, 02 January 2026 7:38 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 02 January 2026 7:38 AM ]

Palestinian abductees crouch on the ground in the courtyard of a prison in the Israeli-occupied territories, February 14, 2024. (Photo by Flash90)

Domestic Israeli reports reveal that the regime’s prison authorities denied Palestinian abductees access to drinking water for hours during Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

The newly-published reports, which were previously kept from the public, were written by representatives of the so-called public defender's office following three visits to Ketziot prison in the Negev desert in 2024.

The representatives collected testimonies by Palestinian detainees, who said that Israel's water deprivation policy was "carried out as part of collective punishment," and that in some places, "it is a regular practice for about half the day."

The reports found severe hunger among the prisoners, which was "manifested in drastic weight loss and accompanying physical symptoms, including extreme weakness and even incidents of fainting."

They further said that 90 percent of security prisoners had less than 3 square meters of living space while thousands of them did not have beds.

Some prisoners were experiencing "routine" violence from guards and the denial of both medical attention and access to courts, according to the reports.

Israel has abducted thousands of Palestinians and tightened incarceration conditions since October 7, 2023, when the regime waged its Gaza genocide after the Hamas resistance group carried out a historic operation against the occupying entity.

In September, Israel’s high court ruled that the regime had failed to provide Palestinian abductees with adequate food for basic subsistence.

The three-judge panel said that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet had a legal duty to provide Palestinian abductees with three meals a day to ensure “a basic level of existence” and ordered authorities to fulfill that obligation.

The ruling came in response to a petition brought by the so-called association for civil rights in Israel (ACRI) and the rights group Gisha. The pair had said that new food restrictions imposed after the Gaza onslaught had caused prisoners to suffer malnutrition and starvation.

Israeli court: Netanyahu regime deprives Palestinian abductees of basic food for survival

In a rare move, Israel’s Supreme Court rules that the regime has deprived Palestinian abductees of even the most basic nutritional requirements for survival.

Rights groups have documented widespread abuse and torture in Israeli jails, including rapes, beatings, threats, starvation, isolation, as well as poor sanitary conditions.

By the end of 2025, more than 9,300 Palestinians were still incarcerated in Israeli prisons, with 3,350 in the so-called administrative detention without charge.

Palestinian authorities report that at least 86 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since the Gaza genocide began.

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