Israeli forces accused of systematic sexual violence against Palestinians

Human‑rights groups say Israeli security forces employ sexual violence as a routine tool against Palestinian detainees. A Euro‑Med Human Rights Monitor report describes a “standard operating procedure” of systematic rape and sexual torture in prisons, citing testimonies of men forced into humiliating acts by guards and a 42‑year‑old woman allegedly shackled naked during forced sexual intercourse.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has also documented the inhumane treatment of five Gaza journalists arrested after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. The journalists were held at the Sde Teiman military base and later in Israeli prisons, where they endured torture, beatings, threats of eye‑gouging, loss of eyesight, epilepsy, insomnia and severe psychological trauma. One journalist, Shady Abu Sedo, was threatened with having his eye gouged and suffered permanent vision loss; others reported scabies, epilepsy and loss of equipment worth over $50,000. All five remain unable to resume work after release.