File Photo: Palestinian prisoners with their hands and legs restrained in the yard at the Sde Teiman military prison in Israel. AP
Campaign coordinator Youssef al-Amayreh, who was released in January after spending two years in Israeli custody, said the initiative had already collected dozens of testimonies from former detainees alleging sexual violence and abuse.
"Unfortunately, dozens of male and female prisoners do not dare to stand up and speak out, either for health reasons or security reasons, or because of social considerations," said Amayreh, alleging that he had himself been sexually abused in detention.
Amayreh, a resident of the village of Al-Burj in southern West Bank, did not give details of his own experience, but displayed boxes of medication he said he began taking after his release.
He said the campaign aimed to "expose the crimes committed against detainees" and end Israel's "policy of impunity".
His wife, Sabreen, described the emotional and social toll on families of survivors, saying spouses are often left navigating trauma while trying to preserve family stability.
"When a person is subjected to sexual violence, the pain does not stop at their body or their psyche, but affects an entire family," she said.
"The wife becomes a nurse, a psychologist, a father, a mother, and a source of support."
Israeli, Palestinian and international human rights organisations have repeatedly raised concerns over allegations of torture, ill-treatment and degrading conditions in Israeli detention facilities, particularly since the Gaza war began on 7 October 2023.
In May, UN Special Rapporteur on torture Alice Jill Edwards urged Israeli authorities to review their detention policies.
Her investigation documented "52 incidents of different forms of torture or other ill-treatment, and another 33 incidents of sexual torture and other sexualised ill-treatment".
Palestinian journalist Sami al-Saee from Tulkarm said he had been subjected to "gang rape" by guards during his detention between February 2024 and June 2025.
Israel's Prison Service did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on Amayreh and Saee's testimonies.
Israel suspended International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visits to Palestinian security detainees after the October 2023 war, arguing that the organization had failed to secure access to Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Although Israel's Supreme Court overturned the ban in June, visits have yet to resume.
In a statement marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, observed on 26 June, the Palestinian prisoner institutions said that torture crimes have affected all categories of prisoners, including children, women, the elderly, the wounded, and the sick, in a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, around 9,500 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli prisons.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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