Israel

International campaign to prosecute perpetrators of sexual violations against prisoners in Israeli prisons

Coalitions of human rights bodies and defense institutions for Palestinian prisoners revealed the launch of an extensive international movement aimed at addressing the sexual violations committed against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, and diligently pursuing the prosecution of those involved in these crimes legally.

These movements coincide with escalating international and human rights reports indicating harsh detention conditions suffered by Palestinian prisoners amid the current security tensions.

Hosni Nedim

July 14, 2026•Update: July 14, 2026

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West Bank / Hosni Nedim - Awad al-Rajoub / Anadolu

** Announced by Palestinian institutions concerned with prisoners' affairs and human rights organizations during a press conference in the city of Al-Bireh in the central West Bank..

** Campaign coordinator, former prisoner Youssef Amaira:

- Work on the campaign began with extensive documentation of the violations to which prisoners are subjected, before its establishment and official launch

- Campaign activities were launched in countries around the world, to be followed by legal committees including lawyers, judges, and international specialists

Palestinian institutions concerned with prisoners' affairs, along with human rights organizations, launched on Tuesday an international campaign to combat sexual violence against male and female prisoners in Israeli prisons and to prosecute those responsible for committing it.

The initiative was announced at a press conference in the city of Al-Bireh in the occupied West Bank, organized by the Commission of Prisoners' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner's Club, attended by released prisoners, where participants focused on the need to expose sexual and grave violations, pressure to provide legal protection for prisoners, and ensure accountability of perpetrators.

In a statement issued by the Palestinian Prisoner's Club, the organizations affirmed that the aim of this campaign goes beyond breaking the wall of silence surrounding these crimes due to their sensitivity, to reach the stage of internationalizing the victims' testimonies and turning them into conclusive legal files that ensure the prosecution of those responsible before international forums.

It said it would work to convey victims' testimonies to various international human rights and legal bodies, enhance efforts to open paths for accountability and prosecution before competent international bodies and courts, and put an end to what it described as the state of political and judicial protection that Israel provides to perpetrators of these crimes.

The campaign organizers stressed that its launch represents the beginning of a long path "aimed at exposing the crimes of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners, ending the silence surrounding these crimes, and working to build an integrated legal and human rights file based on victims' testimonies and documented affidavits."

The campaign called on the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, UN special mechanisms, and states parties to the Geneva Conventions to "take urgent and effective steps to ensure the protection of Palestinian prisoners, open independent investigations into the crimes committed against them, hold those responsible accountable, and put an end to the policy of impunity that has encouraged their continuation."

For her part, the media coordinator of the Palestinian Prisoner's Club, Amani Sarahneh, told Anadolu that launching the campaign "represents part of an open pursuit of the occupation, and a cumulative effort by several institutions since the start of the war on the Gaza Strip."

She confirmed the presence of legal teams and human rights bodies moving in various forums, in coordination with official Palestinian bodies.

She explained that UN reports, including the inclusion of Israel at the end of last May on the blacklist of entities involved in conflict-related sexual violence, came as a result of movements led by Palestinian and international institutions.

She added that the new development is the readiness of more victims to provide their testimonies, including details of the violations they were subjected to, referring to the efforts of the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this field.

Victims' testimonies

The press conference featured testimonies from released prisoners about their exposure to violence and sexual violations inside Israeli prisons, along with testimonies from members of their families about the psychological and social effects resulting from those experiences.

The campaign coordinator, former prisoner Youssef Amaira, said its launch came after three years of collecting affidavits and testimonies from prisoners, detainees, and released individuals.

He explained that work on the campaign began with a wide documentation process of the crimes committed against prisoners, which escalated during the last three years, before the campaign was established and officially launched.

He pointed out that the campaign will start by organizing events in a number of countries around the world, to be followed by a stage of forming legal committees including lawyers, judges, and experts from several countries.

Silent genocide

For his part, the head of the Commission of Prisoners' and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs, Raed Abu al-Humus, said in his speech that the prisoners' institutions have documented a large number of affidavits related to these violations, considering that what prisoners are subjected to constitutes "silent genocide."

In turn, the head of the Supreme Authority for Follow-up of Prisoners' and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs, Amin Shoman, said that launching the campaign comes amid "an unprecedented rise in cases of sexual violence against prisoners, especially since October 7, 2023."

He affirmed that the campaign will continue its activity at the international level with the aim of mobilizing human rights and legal institutions to confront those violations.

Evidence and documents

The head of the Palestinian Prisoner's Club, Abdullah al-Zaghari, said that specialized institutions have collected over the past three years affidavits and documents constituting evidence of the violations to which prisoners are subjected inside Israeli prisons.

Al-Zaghari considered that these practices are not individual cases, but come within a "systematic policy."

For his part, the director of the Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights "Hurryyat", Helmi al-Araj, considered that the sexual violations against Palestinian prisoners amount to "war crimes and crimes against humanity."

He called for action before international institutions and courts to prosecute and hold accountable those responsible for those violations.

Palestinian institutions concerned with prisoners' affairs say that Israel has escalated its violations against male and female prisoners since the start of its war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, as part of what it describes as a retaliatory policy.

According to the latest data from Palestinian prisoners' institutions, Israel is holding about 9,400 Palestinian and Arab prisoners and detainees, including 99 female prisoners, more than 350 children, and 3,244 administrative detainees.

Palestinian institutions accuse Israel of practicing torture, starvation, and medical neglect against detainees, and call for international intervention to protect them and investigate violations committed inside prisons.

This campaign gains its importance from being a qualitative attempt to transfer the issue of violations inside prisons from its local framework to the international human rights arena. It will be interesting to monitor the extent to which the planned legal committees can turn these testimonies into effective judicial prosecutions amid the complex political and legal challenges surrounding this file.