Freed Palestinian children share accounts of torture in Israeli detention

In its report published on Saturday, the NGO Defense for Children Palestine (DCIP) shed light on the severe torture and mistreatment these Palestinian teenagers suffered in detention.

In interviews conducted by the DCIP, Mohammad Nael Khamis al-Zoghbi, 17, Faris Ibrahim Faris Abu Jabal, 16, and Mahmoud Hani Mohammad al-Majayda, 17, explained that they were captured by Zionist regime’s forces near aid distribution points and taken to the notorious Sde Teiman detention center in southern Israel.

They reported experiencing torture, beatings, and starvation during their time in Israeli custody, saying the resulting trauma has caused them severe sleep disturbance, including night terrors and bed-wetting.

Jabal, who was taken along with his father while looking for aid near the Morag Corridor on September 11, recounted being beaten so severely during his interrogation that his forehead “split open and required stitches.”

“I felt nothing but pain,” Jabal told DCIP. “I endured those hours without food, water, or even a chance to use the bathroom. Fear gripped me, preventing me from asking for anything, and I often lost control of my bladder during the interrogation.”

He added that during this time, a soldier would get up and beat him out of frustration when he lost a game on his phone.

The boys were subjected to a form of torture referred to as the "disco room," where they were forced to lie on the floor while loud Hebrew music played for over 12 hours.

Jabal said, “I remained in that room until the day's end, enduring numerous assaults, including having my head slammed against the wall, being kicked, and having my hair pulled.”

Since his release, Jabal has suffered difficulty standing, loss of bladder control, and recurring nightmares that cause him to wake up screaming.

"I am jolted awake by his screams, and he cowers in fear of being struck, pleading, 'No, no, please don’t hit me,” Jabal’s mother told DCIP.

Zionist regime’s forces captured Majayda as he was trying to obtain aid at a distribution site operated by the contentious Israeli and US-backed agency in the southern city of Rafah on August 7.

Majayda, 17, detailed his own horrific experiences, including being blindfolded, beaten, and electrocuted during his interrogations.

He was then marked with an "X” on his back to signify his transfer to prison.

He was also subjected to confinement in the 'disco room' for over 12 hours. Following that, he was moved to another room where he was stripped, exposed to cold air, and left isolated for two days.

The boy was subsequently placed in solitary confinement for two days, during which his hands and feet were restrained.

“I couldn't sleep for even a moment due to the overwhelming pain and paralysing fear. At times, I would lose control and wet myself from sheer terror. The metal handcuffs were painfully tight, leaving me powerless.”

He also said that an Israeli intelligence officer suggested he collaborate with the army as a human shield, offering a monthly salary of 30,000 shekels (approximately $9,200). When he declined, Majayda was thrown back into the “disco room” and beaten.

As he returned to his cell, Majayda faced regular attacks from dogs and was hit with stun grenades by Israeli soldiers. He said the torture had driven him to attempt suicide twice. Since his release, he has reported being unable to sleep.

“Each time I shut my eyes, I am haunted by the same location, the same faces, the same cell,” he told DCIP.

“Prison has stripped away my childhood, forcing me to rediscover how to laugh, how to sleep, and how to feel secure.”

Zoghbi, 17, was captured by Israeli forces on July 11 while seeking aid at a GHF-run distribution point in Rafah, before being taken to Sde Teiman.

Zoghbi said during his interrogation, his handcuffs were tightened so tightly that he could hear the bones in his arm cracking.

The prison guards carried out nightly raids on his cell, releasing dogs and throwing stun grenades at him and his cellmates at 2 a.m.

“If I failed to wake up during the raid, the soldiers would beat me, and I risked being hit by a stun grenade they tossed into the room,” he said.

After his release, Zoghbi continues to awake at 2 a.m. expecting a raid.

“I feel extremely exhausted and struggle to articulate or convey the emotions stemming from my experiences. Each time I recall those moments, I find myself sitting alone and crying.”

According to DCIP, the treatment of the boys in Israeli custody was intended to undermine their humanity and elicit false confessions.

“Israel’s detention of Palestinians has nothing to do with security, law, or justice,” the NGO said.

“It is a system designed to physically and mentally scar a generation of Palestinians in an attempt to suppress any attempt to resist Israel’s Apartheid regime or demand that their fundamental rights are upheld.”

It highlighted that Israel's systematic torture and detention of Palestinian children constitute a violation of the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute.

DCIP also stressed that, as a signatory to the Convention against Torture, Israel is legally obligated to prevent, investigate, and prosecute acts of torture.