A United Nations investigator has condemned Israel’s prison system, accusing officials of systematically torturing Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza and rising tensions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In a report presented Monday, March 23rd, 2026, to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, said Israel’s prison system has become an instrument of calculated cruelty.
“Since the onset of the genocide, the Israeli prison system has degenerated into a laboratory of calculated cruelty. What was once conducted behind closed doors is now conducted in plain sight,” Albanese said.
In her findings, Albanese alleged that thousands of Palestinians have been detained since October 2023, including minors, with many held without charge or trial.
She also cited deaths in custody and described a pattern of abuse that she said reflects broader conditions imposed on Palestinians across the Gaza Strip and other occupied areas.
“A system that has long been used to dominate, degrade, and break Palestinians has evolved and hardened into State doctrine. Torture does to the individual what genocide does to a people,” she said.
The report characterizes these practices as violations of international law and calls for accountability through mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court.
Albanese also named senior Israeli officials, including Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, and Israel Katz, in connection with policies she said have enabled abuse.
“International law is quite clear: torture is absolutely prohibited without exception. The fact that it is being more and more used … only heightens the gravity of this breach,” Albanese said.
Israel has repeatedly rejected similar accusations, saying its security forces operate in accordance with international law and face ongoing threats from armed groups.
Israeli officials argue that detention measures, including administrative detention, are necessary to prevent attacks.
The report comes amid continued international scrutiny following the escalation of violence after the October 7 attacks and Israel’s subsequent military operations in Gaza.
Human rights groups and UN bodies have raised concerns about conditions affecting civilians and detainees, while Israel maintains it is targeting militant organizations and taking steps to minimize harm.
