Recent reports have exposed Israel’s systematic torture and abuse of prisoners, primarily Palestinians, shedding light on depraved acts that have become “state doctrine.” The Israeli imperialists have defended and justified the abuse at every step, emboldened by US imperialism, which has provided funding and diplomatic cover to Israel’s genocidal regime for decades.
A system of abuse
Testimonials reveal how Israeli forces have routinely detained ordinary Palestinians, blindfolded and handcuffed them, and subjected them to brutal beatings, strip searches, and humiliation at prison camps.
Palestinians held in these camps report that they were forced to kneel or stand in uncomfortable positions for hours and beaten if they moved or spoke. In addition, they were denied medical treatment, feminine hygiene products, or the ability to wash their bodies or clothing; received inadequate food and water; and were deprived of sleep by guards who removed their mattresses and played loud music.
An 18-year-old boy who was kidnapped and imprisoned in August 2023 said:
The guards turned very violent after the war broke out. One day, I heard shouts from the inmates in the next cell … I found out that one of them asked a guard if there was a ceasefire or any sort of solution because we weren’t getting any news from the outside, and in response to that question, they beat him to death.
This was only the beginning. The United Nations reports that between October 2023 and April 2026, Israeli authorities arrested over 18,500 Palestinians—at least 1,500 of whom were children—and disappeared over 4,000. Over the last few months, more horrifying and extensive abuses have been exposed, including multiple rapes using attack dogs. Many detainees are threatened upon release and told that they will be killed if they speak out.
In July 2024, nine IDF soldiers, including a major, were arrested for gang raping a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman military detention facility, after CCTV footage of the assault was leaked online. They used a sharp object to sodomize the victim, who was later admitted to the hospital with “a ruptured bowel, severe anal and lung injuries, and broken ribs.”
Without so much as a slap on the wrist for the perpetrators—the charges were dropped earlier this year—Israeli politicians jumped to condemn the IDF military lawyer who leaked the video. Netanyahu called it “perhaps the most severe public relations attack that the State of Israel has experienced.” When asked if it was legitimate “to insert a stick into a person’s rectum,” Israeli parliamentarian Hanoch Milwidsky shouted, “Yes! If he is a Nukhba [Hamas militant], everything is legitimate to do! Everything!”
Israel emboldened by U.S. imperialism
As evident from the near-complete lack of coverage of these horrific crimes, American bourgeois media is reluctant to whisper a word against US imperialism’s “misbehaving” ally. Already, 60% of Americans have an unfavorable view of Israel. In the face of rising gas and grocery prices during what many see as “Israel’s war” with Iran, this figure is likely to grow.
But the capitalist media can’t keep the lid on IDF abuses forever, especially in cases where the victims are not Palestinians, but citizens of Israel’s Western allies. Even outlets like the BBC and CNN were forced to report on the illegal arrest of Global Sumud Flotilla activists in international waters. Activists from Australia, Italy, Germany, and other countries reported being beaten, humiliated, and sexually assaulted by Israeli military forces after their arrest.
IDF soldiers inflict these cruel acts with impunity, reflecting the psychology of the entire Zionist regime, which brazenly pursues its interests without conscience or mercy—and has yet to face any real consequences.
After all, its military has bombed Lebanon at least 3,500 times since the April “ceasefire.” Despite Trump’s dramatic rants against Netanyahu, Congress is considering fully integrating Israeli defense technology into US military operations under Section 224 of the US National Defense Authorization Act. This collusion reveals the genocidal, criminal nature of Israeli imperialism and its patron, the US.
Who can hold Israel accountable for its crimes?
It is fashionable for soft-left commentators to appeal to the UN, ICC, and international law, or to call for endless commissions and “independent observers.” This is a farce. As Ted Grant explained, the politics of the United Nations and other “international institutions” are the politics of the imperialist powers which dominate them:
The United Nations remains merely a forum for all the powers, where only secondary conflicts are solved. It cannot bring permanent peace as the history of the postwar world has shown …The United Nations is not a power in itself, but merely reflects the relation of forces in the world between the powers.
As we’ve seen over nearly three years of genocide against Gaza, none of these bodies or commissions can end the suffering of the Palestinian people or bring the Israeli imperialists to justice. The only way to bring an end to this revolting abuse is to overthrow the whole system behind it.