Remember Palestinian prisoners and Ben Gvir’s harsh treatment

JVL Introduction

91 Palestinian hostages held in Israeli prisons have died since October 2023.  41 of them are under the age of 18.  Ben Gvir is in charge of prisons, one of the “perks” granted for entering the coalition and so enabling Netanyahu to remain Prime Minister. Ben Gvir is using the mistreatment of Palestinians in Israeli jails as part of his election platform.  He had even planned to put Palestinians into prisons surrounded by moats filled with crocodiles was thwarted by the Israeli Court not because of concern about Palestinians but concern about the welfare of the crocodiles.

The Israeli court’s intervention centered on the potential suffering of the crocodiles rather than the implications of deploying them around a prison holding Palestinian detainees. The Judge reportedly said that: “The expected harm to the crocodiles merit(s) investigation and justif(ies) issuing an order prohibiting the transfer, or any action related to locating or preparing crocodiles for transfer”.

Ben Gvir regarded this “as a victory for Palestinian detainees”.   (for more information see Ben-Gvir Turns Palestinian Prison Abuse into Election Campaign)

If he did not have so much power it would be tempting to write him off as a pantomime villain, Howeveer, we have seen how much worse conditions for incarcerated Palestinians have become and they were never good, torture is not new and nor is “administratve detention”, ie being held without charge or any due process for lengthy periods. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh has been held like this since late December 2024. This article outlines some of the appalling conditions and treatment, short of torture, endured by those kept in prison.

This article was originally published by Palestine Chronicle on Wed 12 Aug 2026. Read the original here.