The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a special report Thursday containing Palestinian journalists’ first-hand accounts of torture in Israeli prisons.

The stories come from 59 testimonies of released journalists. Forty-eight of them were never charged with a crime, but detained under Israeli policies allowing six-month detentions without charge, renewable indefinitely. Others were charged with incitement, anti-state activity, or promoting terrorism. Fifty-eight testimonies included descriptions of torture and abuse, consistently recounting similar occurrences across multiple facilities.

CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah noted the implications of such consistent reports, stating:

These are not isolated incidents. Across dozens of cases, CPJ documented a recurring set of abuse – from beating to starvation, sexual violence, and medical neglect – directed at journalists because of their work. They expose a deliberate strategy to intimidate and silence journalists, and destroy their ability to bear witness.

The testimonies raise critical concerns under international law. The CPJ cited potential violations of the UN Convention Against Torture, to which Israel is a signatory, and Article 79 of a Geneva Convention Protocol, intended to protect journalists.

Accounts of physical violence include extensive beatings and injuries. Photographer Shadi Abu Sido said he was “shackled, blindfolded, and forced through a corridor of soldiers who beat him with batons and kicks.” West Bank journalist Mustafa Khawaja reported a beating that resulted in “fractured ribs, meniscus tears, and spinal injuries later diagnosed as herniated discs.”

Other reports noted the use of trained attack dogs, electroshocking, and pepper spray. Thirty-six journalists described forced stress positions such as “ghost hanging,” where they were hung by their arms, bound behind the back, and pulled upward.

Further, journalists report medical neglect and sexual violence. The testimonies, alongside other reports show widespread scabies, other rashes and boils, untreated injuries, neglect of serious health conditions, and unsanitary environments. Seventeen journalists claim experiences of sexual violence and 19 recount “humiliating strip searches.” Two allege rape by Israeli soldiers.

Other torture was psychological, including prolonged exposure to loud sounds and music. Journalists indicated this caused sleep deprivation and disoriented their senses. The use of starvation was described as a tool for breaking detainees both physically and psychologically. Detained journalists lost an average of 23.5 kilograms (54 pounds).

Gaza journalist Osama Al-Sayed said his abuse worsened when the soldiers discovered he was a journalist. Al Jazeera journalist Amin Baraka recounted repeated interrogation about his work and threats.

“An Israeli soldier told me, word for word in Arabic, that Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al-Dahdouh defied us and stayed in the Gaza Strip, so we killed his family, and we will kill yours too,” Baraka said.

Mistreatment of Palestinian detainees in general has been repeatedly reported for years. August 2024 UN reports detailed widespread torture, sexual abuse, and “atrocious inhumane conditions.”  Amnesty International published similar reports as early as November 2023.

The CPJ report adds to the large body of evidence of acts that constitute genocide against Palestinians, according to human rights experts. Systematic targeting of journalists in Palestine has also been documented since the beginning of 2022, prior to the events of October 7, 2023.