Freed Palestinian children unveil horror, torture in Israeli detention
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Palestinian teenagers freed in a prisoner exchange recount torture, starvation, and abuse in Israeli detention, in testimonies collected by Defense for Children Palestine.
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An Israeli police officer stands outside Ofer military prison near occupied Al-Quds, Monday, October 13, 2025 (AP)
A new report by Defense for Children Palestine (DCIP) has exposed the brutal treatment of three Palestinian teenagers recently freed in a prisoner exchange.
The children were abducted by Israeli occupation forces while seeking humanitarian aid and subjected to torture in detention.
The children, Mohammad Nael Khamis al-Zoghbi (17), Faris Ibrahim Faris Abu Jabal (16), and Mahmoud Hani Mohammad al-Majayda (17), were snatched near aid distribution points and held at the notorious Sde Teiman detention center in southern occupied Palestine
In interviews with DCIP, the boys described severe abuse, including physical beatings, sleep deprivation, and starvation. All three reported experiencing long-term psychological trauma since their release.
Torture methods: Beatings, isolation, and the ‘disco room’
Jabal, who was abducted on September 11 along with his father while collecting aid near the Morag Corridor, recounted being beaten so badly during interrogation that his forehead split open and required stitches. “I endured those hours without food, water, or even a chance to use the bathroom. Fear gripped me,” he told DCIP.
He described being held in a cell dubbed the “disco room", where he was forced to lie on the floor while loud Hebrew music played for over 12 hours. He was repeatedly assaulted, kicked, and had his head slammed into the wall.
Majayda, detained on August 7 in Rafah, described being blindfolded, beaten, and electrocuted during interrogations. After being marked with an “X” on his back for prison transfer, he was isolated in freezing conditions and later placed in solitary confinement with his limbs restrained.
An Israeli intelligence officer allegedly attempted to recruit him as a human shield in exchange for a monthly payment. When he refused, he was returned to the “disco room” and subjected to further abuse. Majayda told DCIP he later attempted suicide twice due to the trauma.
Zoghbi, detained on July 11, recalled his handcuffs being tightened so forcefully that he could hear the bones in his arm cracking. Prison guards reportedly released dogs and threw stun grenades into his cell during nightly raids. “If I failed to wake up, the soldiers would beat me,” he said.
Read more: Freed Palestinian journalist details torture in Israeli prisons
Severe trauma and psychological impact after release
Since their release, all three teenagers have suffered intense psychological aftereffects. Jabal’s mother described how her son wakes up screaming and pleading not to be hit. Zoghbi said he still wakes at 2 am, expecting a raid. “Each time I recall those moments, I find myself sitting alone and crying,” he told DCIP.
Majayda said, “Prison has stripped away my childhood, forcing me to rediscover how to laugh, how to sleep, and how to feel secure.”
The boys also reported involuntary urination, sleep disorders, and heightened anxiety, symptoms consistent with severe trauma.
DCIP: Abuse aimed at breaking resistance
DCIP stated that the Israeli occupation's treatment of the boys was intended to dehumanize and coerce confessions. “Israel’s detention of Palestinians has nothing to do with security, law, or justice,” the NGO said. “It is a system designed to physically and mentally scar a generation of Palestinians in an attempt to suppress any attempt to resist Israel’s Apartheid regime or demand that their fundamental rights are upheld.”
The organization emphasized that these practices are part of a broader policy of systemic abuse targeting Palestinian children.
Read more: Liberation of prisoners possible because of Resistance: PIJ's Nakhala
Violation of international law and child rights
According to DCIP, the systematic torture of Palestinian children by the Israeli occupation violates the Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute, and the Convention against Torture, to which "Israel" is a signatory.
Under international law, states are obligated to prevent, investigate, and prosecute acts of torture, particularly against minors. The report calls for immediate international accountability mechanisms to address these violations.
The testimonies come amid broader reports of mass detentions, abuse, and war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation during its ongoing assault on Gaza, despite a ceasefire, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced the majority of the enclave’s population.
