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A Palestinian Detainee's Harrowing Tale of Torture in an "Inferno" of Israeli Prisons
For eight agonizing months, Mahmoud Abu Foul heard the voice of his mother, but saw nothing but darkness. The 28-year-old from northern Gaza was arrested at Kamal Adwan Hospital and imprisoned in Israeli detention facilities where he claims to have been subjected to relentless torture that left him blind.
At Sde Teiman prison, Abu Foul endured repeated beatings and torture, which guards described as "the prison that breaks men." He recounts being struck on the head with such force that he fell unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he discovered his sight had vanished, but was given only one type of eye drops that offered no relief.
"I kept asking for medical treatment, but they only gave me one type of eye drops, which did nothing," Abu Foul said, his words dripping with desperation and pain. "My eyes kept tearing constantly, with discharge and pain, but no one cared."
Abu Foul's story is all too familiar among Palestinian detainees who have been subjected to systemic abuse in Israeli prisons. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights documented testimonies from 100 former detainees, finding that torture was a widespread practice across all Israeli prison facilities.
Many of those released as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal emerged emaciated or with visible injuries, including one prisoner who lost nearly half his body weight during detention. Dr. Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza's Health Ministry, confirmed that some detainees died under suspicious circumstances, with evidence suggesting possible executions.
Israel has denied allegations of systematic abuse but has failed to provide any concrete evidence to contradict the claims. Despite hundreds of reported cases of abuse since October 2023, Israeli authorities have brought only two indictments, with no prison service personnel charged.
The lack of accountability is a stark reminder of Israel's pervasive disregard for human rights and its treatment of Palestinian detainees as mere pawns in its ongoing conflict. As Dr. Ruchama Marton, founder of Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, noted, "Maybe people didn’t deny it any more, but in practice it became normalized."
For Abu Foul, the trauma of his experience will linger long after he has left Israeli detention. His story serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of Israel's policies and its treatment of Palestinian detainees.
For eight agonizing months, Mahmoud Abu Foul heard the voice of his mother, but saw nothing but darkness. The 28-year-old from northern Gaza was arrested at Kamal Adwan Hospital and imprisoned in Israeli detention facilities where he claims to have been subjected to relentless torture that left him blind.
At Sde Teiman prison, Abu Foul endured repeated beatings and torture, which guards described as "the prison that breaks men." He recounts being struck on the head with such force that he fell unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he discovered his sight had vanished, but was given only one type of eye drops that offered no relief.
"I kept asking for medical treatment, but they only gave me one type of eye drops, which did nothing," Abu Foul said, his words dripping with desperation and pain. "My eyes kept tearing constantly, with discharge and pain, but no one cared."
Abu Foul's story is all too familiar among Palestinian detainees who have been subjected to systemic abuse in Israeli prisons. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights documented testimonies from 100 former detainees, finding that torture was a widespread practice across all Israeli prison facilities.
Many of those released as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal emerged emaciated or with visible injuries, including one prisoner who lost nearly half his body weight during detention. Dr. Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza's Health Ministry, confirmed that some detainees died under suspicious circumstances, with evidence suggesting possible executions.
Israel has denied allegations of systematic abuse but has failed to provide any concrete evidence to contradict the claims. Despite hundreds of reported cases of abuse since October 2023, Israeli authorities have brought only two indictments, with no prison service personnel charged.
The lack of accountability is a stark reminder of Israel's pervasive disregard for human rights and its treatment of Palestinian detainees as mere pawns in its ongoing conflict. As Dr. Ruchama Marton, founder of Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, noted, "Maybe people didn’t deny it any more, but in practice it became normalized."
For Abu Foul, the trauma of his experience will linger long after he has left Israeli detention. His story serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of Israel's policies and its treatment of Palestinian detainees.
mahmoud abu foul's story is literally harrowing i cant even imagine being in his shoes for 8 months with no medical attention just one type of eye drop that doesn't work... it's like they're playing god and ignoring human life completely 
the fact that israeli prisons are like an "inferno" where detainees are broken and tortured is insane. its not just mahmoud, many others have been through the same thing and some even died under suspicious circumstances 
how can you ignore this level of abuse and still claim to care about human rights? it's like they're living in a different reality where Palestinians don't exist or are just disposable pawns 
Like, who needs concrete evidence to prove that abuse is happening when you've got 100+ testimonies from former detainees, right? 
And yeah, because releasing prisoners only emaciated or with injuries totally makes their experience sound super normal... 
what is goin on in them prisons?? 100 former detainees with torture stories? that's insane! 
how can u just ignore all dat evidence and do nothin about it? 
it's not just him, tho - many others have gone thru similar experiences, and some didn't even make it out alive 
it's not like dey are gettin away wit it, but we need 2 keep pushin till dey take responsibility 
can you believe this dude was tortured so bad in prison that he lost his eyesight 
? like, what even is an "inferno" of prisons if it's just gonna be an inferno for your eyes too 
? sounds like they were more interested in making him cry (not literally, but you get it) than actually helping him. 
. We need to see some real accountability here! 
this is so messed up, 8 months without seeing his mum and he lost his sight... it's not even like he did anything wrong 
israel needs to take responsibility for its actions and make sure something like this never happens again 
he went through such hell in that prison and it's heartbreaking to think about his experience... eye drops that don't work? that's just cruel 
and its not just mahmoud, there are so many other palestinian detainees who have gone through similar traumatic experiences 
. I mean, have you seen their human rights record? It's not all bad news 
.
... that's just a whole other can of worms 
. I'm like, totally confused about what to think on this one 
. Maybe we need to do some more research before jumping to conclusions 
?
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they got no regard for human life or dignity, it's like they're desensitized to all the suffering. 
. I mean, where's the accountability? It's like they're treatin' Palestinian detainees like dirt 
. We gotta stand up for 'em and make some noise about this stuff. This isn't just about human rights, it's about basic decency 
.
i mean, these detainees were already victims of a war they didn't choose to fight and then you put them through hell in prison... its just not right. the fact that israel has denied all allegations but hasn't done anything about it is super disturbing 
accountability matters, we need to hold people in power responsible for their actions