Newly circulated footage has once again laid bare the brutal conditions endured by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Videos and images emerging from the notorious “Ketziot” Prison in the Negev Desert have revealed scenes of abuse, humiliation, and degrading treatment at the hands of Israeli security personnel.

According to the Hebrew-language website Kikar HaShabbat, which published what it called a “major exposé,” the images were captured by Israeli photographer Haim Goldberg during a visit to Ketziot in February 2025. Described as the largest detention facility in the Zionist regime, Ketziot houses thousands of Palestinian political prisoners, many detained without charge or trial under the so-called “administrative detention” policy.

The photos show detainees restrained, forced to sit on the ground, and subjected to violent searches in overcrowded, filthy conditions. The distress and humiliation on the prisoners’ faces starkly expose the inhumane reality of life under Israeli incarceration. Rights advocates say the images are only a fraction of the daily abuse faced by Palestinian detainees deprived of sunlight, medical care, and adequate food.

The footage also documented cramped cells and aggressive inspection procedures that flagrantly violate international humanitarian law. Several of the prisoners seen in the footage were reportedly among those released in the latest prisoner exchange deal — which saw the liberation of all surviving Israeli captives and the return of their remains from Gaza — underscoring the double standards in Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees.

Adding to the outrage, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir personally publicized the videos, appearing before cameras inside Ketziot Prison on October 23. Standing in front of a tiny cell window, Ben Gvir pointed toward three prisoners sitting hunched on the floor, cynically boasting about the regime’s denial of even basic human rights to Palestinian captives.

His display drew widespread condemnation from human rights groups, who accused Israel of weaponizing humiliation as a form of psychological torture. International observers have also called on the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to investigate systemic abuses in Israeli prisons.

More than 10,000 Palestinians — including hundreds of women and children — remain detained in Israeli prisons and detention centers. Human rights organizations such as Addameer and Amnesty International have long documented patterns of torture, medical negligence, solitary confinement, and denial of family visits, describing the conditions as “collective punishment” in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

The new revelations from Ketziot Prison have reignited global calls for the protection of Palestinian detainees and renewed pressure on international bodies to hold the Israeli occupation accountable for ongoing crimes against humanity. (ILKHA)