DebugDruid
Well-known member
A Palestinian detainee who spent eight months in an Israeli prison, where he was subjected to relentless torture, has spoken out about the brutal treatment he endured. The 28-year-old from northern Gaza lost his sight after guards beat him on the head so severely that he fell unconscious.
Mahmoud Abu Foul's account is just one of many testimonies documenting systematic abuse in Israeli prisons. A ceasefire deal brokered by the US has seen nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees released, many bearing visible signs of abuse. Abu Foul, who had already lost his leg in a 2015 Israeli bombing, told Al Jazeera that he was repeatedly beaten and tortured during his imprisonment.
"I kept asking for medical treatment, but they only gave me one type of eye drops, which did nothing," he said. His eyes "kept tearing constantly, with discharge and pain, but no one cared." Abu Foul tried a hunger strike to demand treatment but said prison authorities didn't respond.
When Abu Foul was finally released and transferred to Nasser Hospital, he waited anxiously for his family, fearing the worst. But when his mother arrived, "he hugged her tightly," despite not being able to see her face. "Just hearing her was worth the whole world."
Abu Foul now lives in a tent near ruins, still without treatment for his eyes, and is seeking help to travel abroad for medical care. His case aligns with a growing body of evidence documenting systematic abuse in Israeli prisons.
Many detainees released this week emerged emaciated or with visible injuries. One prisoner had lost nearly half his body weight during detention. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights documented testimonies from 100 former detainees, finding that torture was systematic across all Israeli prison facilities.
Dr Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza's Health Ministry, said that medical sources found evidence of abuse on some of the corpses, and some indicated possible executions. "They did not die naturally, they were executed while restrained," he stated.
The United Nations estimates that at least 75 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons since October 2023. An Israeli rights group, B'Tselem, described the prison system as a "network of torture camps" where detainees face systematic physical abuse and are denied food and medical care.
Despite hundreds of reported abuse cases, Israeli authorities have brought indictments in only two incidents, with no prison service personnel charged. Dr Ruchama Marton, founder of Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, said her decades-long campaign exposed the use of torture in Israel but has failed to stop it. "Maybe people didn't deny it any more, but in practice it became normalized," she stated.
The case highlights the lack of accountability and the normalization of abuse within the Israeli prison system. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has defended the harsh treatment of Palestinian prisoners, saying "summer camps and patience for the terrorists are over."
Mahmoud Abu Foul's account is just one of many testimonies documenting systematic abuse in Israeli prisons. A ceasefire deal brokered by the US has seen nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees released, many bearing visible signs of abuse. Abu Foul, who had already lost his leg in a 2015 Israeli bombing, told Al Jazeera that he was repeatedly beaten and tortured during his imprisonment.
"I kept asking for medical treatment, but they only gave me one type of eye drops, which did nothing," he said. His eyes "kept tearing constantly, with discharge and pain, but no one cared." Abu Foul tried a hunger strike to demand treatment but said prison authorities didn't respond.
When Abu Foul was finally released and transferred to Nasser Hospital, he waited anxiously for his family, fearing the worst. But when his mother arrived, "he hugged her tightly," despite not being able to see her face. "Just hearing her was worth the whole world."
Abu Foul now lives in a tent near ruins, still without treatment for his eyes, and is seeking help to travel abroad for medical care. His case aligns with a growing body of evidence documenting systematic abuse in Israeli prisons.
Many detainees released this week emerged emaciated or with visible injuries. One prisoner had lost nearly half his body weight during detention. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights documented testimonies from 100 former detainees, finding that torture was systematic across all Israeli prison facilities.
Dr Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza's Health Ministry, said that medical sources found evidence of abuse on some of the corpses, and some indicated possible executions. "They did not die naturally, they were executed while restrained," he stated.
The United Nations estimates that at least 75 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons since October 2023. An Israeli rights group, B'Tselem, described the prison system as a "network of torture camps" where detainees face systematic physical abuse and are denied food and medical care.
Despite hundreds of reported abuse cases, Israeli authorities have brought indictments in only two incidents, with no prison service personnel charged. Dr Ruchama Marton, founder of Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, said her decades-long campaign exposed the use of torture in Israel but has failed to stop it. "Maybe people didn't deny it any more, but in practice it became normalized," she stated.
The case highlights the lack of accountability and the normalization of abuse within the Israeli prison system. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has defended the harsh treatment of Palestinian prisoners, saying "summer camps and patience for the terrorists are over."
. 8 months is a long time to be held without proper medical care, especially when you're being tortured and beaten like Mahmoud Abu Foul was 
. It's heartbreaking that he lost his sight and is still living without treatment for his eyes...it just goes to show how systemically abuse is happening in those prisons.
. The UN says at least 75 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons since October 2023, which is absolutely shocking. I think it's time for Israel to take some responsibility and hold people accountable for these crimes.
. We need to keep pushing for change and making sure everyone knows about the human rights abuses happening in Israeli prisons 
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Abu Foul's experience is just heartbreaking, eight months in an Israeli prison with no care or medical attention? That's just not right. And to think he lost his sight because of it... I can only imagine how hard it must be for him and his family. The fact that the authorities are more concerned about "summer camps" than actual human rights is just sickening 
We need to do more to hold people in power accountable for these crimes, like Palestinian leaders or world governments. It's not acceptable to normalize torture and abuse, we should be doing everything in our power to stop it 
he was already going through so much with losing his leg in a bombing but then to be tortured like that in prison? it's just too much 
. he deserves all the help and care he needs for his eyes, and i hope he can get the medical treatment he deserves abroad 
he went through so much trauma & pain in those prison cells, & it's heartbreaking to hear that his eyes still haven't gotten the treatment they need 
we have to keep sharing stories like abu foul's so that ppl wake up to what's really going on in those prisons 
I'm still trying to process the horrific story of Mahmoud Abu Foul 
That's just heartbreaking. His story isn't unique, unfortunately - we've seen so many testimonies of Palestinian detainees being subjected to systematic abuse 
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, speaks to the systemic failure in the Israeli prison system. The UN estimates at least 75 Palestinian detainees have died since October 2023 - that's just unacceptable 
. It's not too late to make a change, but we need to act now! 
the fact that these authorities don't care about their own citizens is just sad. It's like they're treating Palestinians as less than human. I mean, we've seen so many cases where detains are left to suffer & die without proper medical care... it's absolutely appalling 
just heard about this dude Mahmoud Abu Foul and it's like... how can ppl do this to each other?? 8 months in prison and he loses his sight & leg 
this case highlights the need for real change in how ppl are treated in these prisons 
. meanwhile, in other news, another hurricane has hit florida and its looking super bad 
. like, can we talk about something else for once?