Released inmate Naji al-Jaafari, freed from Israeli custody as part of a hostage deal, described the conditions he experienced during his imprisonment.
When asked in an interview with Al Jazeera about the conditions in the prison, al-Jaafari replied, "We would go to the toilet once a day - and even then only if we had the chance."
He added and described the food he allegedly received, "We lived on two slices of toast a day, that was our only food. There was nothing else."
Al-Jaafari was arrested about a year ago during an operation at Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, where he says he was hospitalized for medical treatment. His brother Salah, identified with Hamas and who filmed propaganda videos in Gaza, was killed a few days ago by a rival clan.
After the October 7th massacre, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir implemented a strict policy that significantly reduced benefits and food in the security prisons, aiming to reverse years of claims that the Israel Prison Service took a lenient approach toward security prisoners to maintain calm among the Palestinian Arab public.
Last month it was reported that a security prisoner's menu now includes up to four and a half slices of bread in the morning with a spread, an egg and a vegetable; one carbohydrate at lunch alongside about 100 grams of protein; and in the evening the meal includes bread with a spread.
Although this is much more than the hostages in Gaza received, according to claims from released prisoners, the food has allegedly been reduced to a minimum. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel reacted by petitioning the Supreme Court in recent months against the Israel Prison Service, arguing that the alleged reduction in food constitutes, if true, "an affront to human dignity and even torture."