Haaretz published an interview with Munder Amira, a Palestinian Authority Arab administrative prisoner who was recently released from Israeli prison.
Amira described to them a series of degradations, including strip searches, inedible food, violence, overcrowding to a dangerous degree, being forced to sleep on the floor, being kept naked in his cell, cold, and extended periods in restraints, and criticized the conduct of Minister Ben-Gvir and the Israel Prison Service.
“The eggs we were served were not cooked. I decided to eat them all just to survive. When I was taken to a waiting area, and kept chained up there for an entire day, I was forced to relieve myself in my pants since I could not remove them. Everything was related to the October 7th massacre. Everything we asked for, they answered October 7th. When we asked that they cook the eggs, they said October 7th. It was like Guantanamo Bay.”
“Dinner was a small bowl of quark cheese and a slice of bread. Lunch the next day was genuinely shocking - the soldiers put out four trays in four corners of the room, and eight prisoners were ordered to kneel down and eat with their hands. It looked like a bunch of street cats. The food was an uncertain dough, and inedible. It was probably some mixture of leftovers from the soldiers’ meal. When someone asked what the white part was, they told him it was an egg. He is ready to swear that it was not egg, and I didn't touch it.”
Haaretz criticized the IPS and National Security Minster Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose ministry includes the IPS. “This is a combination of the state of war in which it is deemed permissible to abuse Palestinians in every way, and the IPS run by Minister Ben-Gvir, which has made its intentions clear.”
Amira stated that he had decided to stop resisting anything just to survive. “Eight of us were made to sleep on the floor. I was given the bed as opposed to my friends, due to my age. The mattress was five centimeters thick, with a wool blanket. I had to trade uniforms with another prisoner so that we would have the right sizes.”
“Every time the prisoners left the cell we were taken in a line, with our hands cuffed behind our back and our heads bent. If someone tried to raise their head, they would be beaten. Over the course of three months, the IPS special forces raided our cell with the use of extreme violence, each time with a different excuse. The cell didn't look like it used to in the Ofer Prison - we were kept completely naked. The television, electric kettle, stove, radio, books, pen, paper, chess, and backgammon were all taken, and our canteen privileges were withheld. We were given nothing. I accepted it. That is the price for resistance to the occupation and the war in Gaza.”
The IPS stated: “We are unaware of the claims described and as far as we know they are incorrect. Should a formal complaint be lodged, it will be investigated by the relevant officers.”
The IDF stated: “The suspect was arrested on suspicions of incitement and terrorist activity in an enemy organization on December 18th, 2023. In a military court hearing regarding the military prosecutor's request for an extended detention, the suspect raised claims against the conduct of the soldiers during his arrest. The claims are being clarified.”