Abu Al-Hummos warns of escalating psychological abuse against detainees in Ofer Prison

August 8, 2025

The Head of the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, Raed Abu Al-Hummos, issued a warning on Friday over the mounting psychological abuse inflicted on detainees in Ofer Prison, describing the situation as rapidly worsening and extremely alarming.

His remarks followed his review of a report from the Commission’s lawyer, who had recently visited several detainees in Ofer. The detainees’ testimonies revealed serious threats to their lives, with a clear and deliberate focus on breaking their resolve and morale through systematic psychological exhaustion, aimed at rendering them mentally unstable and emotionally broken.

Abu Al-Hummos noted that the overall conditions inside Israeli prisons and detention centers are harsh and dangerous, and that Israeli policies toward detainees have reached unprecedented levels of severity. He stressed that the continued silence of the international community leaves Palestinian detainees, both men and women, abandoned to neglect and abuse, emboldening the occupation authorities to pursue even more extreme measures.

“The Commission’s lawyer documented the accounts of the detainees he met,” Abu Al-Hummos said. “They spoke in detail about their personal suffering and the general situation. Every account contained evidence of organized crimes that should have no place in the twenty-first century.”

The detainees, he added, described illnesses and pain caused by beatings, torture, insufficient and poor-quality food, lack of hygiene, deprivation of clothing and blankets, and being confined to their rooms around the clock amid overcrowding and the spread of contagious diseases. These hardships are further compounded by constant searches and raids, often accompanied by vile insults and verbal abuse, creating severe mental and emotional pressure that pushes them into states of shock and psychological trauma.

Abu Al-Hummos urged human rights and humanitarian organizations to pursue their responsibilities and break their silence, warning that neutrality comes at the cost of the detainees’ health, years, and lives. He stressed that it is unacceptable to leave these men and women at the mercy of the occupation’s brutality, terror, and entrenched racism, which strips them of their very humanity.