Palestinian journalist raped, sexually tortured inside Israeli detention center

A new report has revealed that a Palestinian journalist detained by Israeli authorities was raped and subjected to sexual torture inside a detention facility, including an attack carried out by a trained dog.

The Palestinian Centre for the Protection of Journalists said on Sunday that the journalist suffered severe psychological trauma as a result of the assault, leaving him mentally unstable for more than two months. The organisation described the case as one of the most serious crimes documented against journalists inside Israeli prisons.

According to the statement, the incident took place at the Sde Teiman detention centre, where the journalist and seven other detainees were taken to a secluded area within the camp. There, they were subjected to gang rape in the presence of Israeli soldiers, some of whom deliberately filmed the assaults and mocked the victims. All of the detainees were handcuffed, blindfolded, and denied any form of legal or humanitarian protection.

The journalist, identified only as “Yahya” for the safety of his family, said the assault lasted roughly three minutes and was followed by a severe psychological collapse that left him unable to concentrate or function normally for more than two months. Doctors and human rights advocates who reviewed his testimony said the symptoms were consistent with acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Yahya,” who spent 20 months in Israeli prisons — including three months in Sde Teiman and one month in Ofer — said the assault was not an isolated incident but part of a broader, systematic policy of torture aimed at breaking detainees psychologically and physically.

He also described the use of dogs as a direct tool of torture, in clear violation of international conventions prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Ridwaan Dajani

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