Thousands of Palestinian administrative detainees – those being held without charge or trial – are subject to ill-treatment including dire physical conditions, torture and sexual violence, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The report detailing the “prolonged secret and incommunicado detention” of Palestinians by Israeli authorities states that dozens have also died in Israeli custody.

The report also notes detentions carried out by armed groups and the Palestinian Authority.

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began on 7 October, the Israeli parliament has increased the period allowed for administrative detention under the Incarceration of Unlawful Combatants Law.

The Israeli military has taken into custody thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and over 10,000 Palestinians who were legally present in Israel, the report says.

Israel has also carried out “daily mass, apparently arbitrary, arrests” of Palestinians.

Due to Israel’s refusal to report, the exact number of detentions is not clear, but OHCHR has found that at least 53 detainees from Gaza and the West Bank have died in Israeli custody.

Many Israeli arrests are “apparent restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of expression, opinion, association and assembly”, the report says. Activists, human rights defenders and journalists have been arrested for social media posts or while working.

The same day of the report’s release, two Al Jazeera journalists were killed in Gaza, adding to the death toll of at least 165 media workers.

Demonstrations and protests have also been “effectively banned” in Israel, with Israeli activists and protesters being arrested and held in prolonged detention. Earlier this month, ultra-Orthodox Jews clashed with police in Jerusalem over a new bill overturning their exemption from conscription.

Lack of basic necessities

Detainees are denied basic necessities including food, water, space, warmth, and hygiene, according to the report.

The report quotes Israel’s minister of national security saying that in accordance with his instructions, he observed “eight handcuffed terrorists in a dark cell, iron beds, toilets in a hole in the floor”.

Prison cells are overcrowded, sometimes reaching four times their maximum capacity. Denial of food led to malnutrition and loss of up to 55kg of body weight, according to Palestinians interviewed by OHCHR.

Detainees with medical conditions are particularly affected. An autopsy revealed that a 21-year-old with Hirschsprung’s disease died from being denied the diet he required, while another man reported being given pure alcohol when he asked for water to take his medicine.

Injured detainees are shackled, blindfolded and fed through a straw. Some underwent amputations due to harsh shackling.

Torture and sexual violence

Routine beatings, prolonged sensory deprivation and dog attacks are among some of the torture techniques carried out by the Israeli military in the report.

It also found prisoners “being forced to kneel on gravel, [given] electric shocks, being burnt with cigarettes, and given hallucinogenic pills” as well as waterboarding.

Men and women both suffered sexual violence including electrocution of the genitals, threats of mass rape and forced nudity, often photographed or filmed. A released prisoner described a guard putting a piece of a vegetable in his anus.

OHCHR also said that Palestinians in custody are denied products such as menstrual hygiene items.

Detention by Palestinian groups

Many hostages taken by Palestinian armed groups on 7 October remain in custody, with “violence and extremely harsh conditions”, according to the report.

Released hostages reported a lack of food, poor sanitation, surgery without anaesthetic, and sexual assault. 

The Palestinian Authority (PA) carries out detentions and torture in the West Bank to “suppress criticism and political opposition”, the report says.

This includes many arrests of Palestinian men and their families for being “Hamas-affiliated”.

OHCHR calls on the armed groups and the Palestinian government to release hostages and end arbitrary detention.

The UN office also calls on Israel to release all arbitrarily detained Palestinians and reform legislation to comply with international law.