Executive Summary
Finn Right International, a Finland-based human rights commission, has condemned what it describes as systematic torture, sexual violence, and arbitrary detention of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody.
The report was issued on June 22, 2026 marking 990 days since the onset of the current crisis beginning October 7, 2023.
The Detention Crisis
Current estimates place approximately 9,500 Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities, among them hundreds of children and women.
Around one-third are held under administrative detention imprisonment without charge or trial, based solely on undisclosed evidence.
Thousands more are held in makeshift detention camps and military facilities following mass arrest operations.
Documented cases include children as young as 12 subjected to administrative detention, with reports of children under 12 also being held.
Itamar Ben-Gvir and the Prison System
Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the Israel Prison Service, has been accused by rights groups of transforming detention facilities into what they describe as torture camps.
Ben-Gvir has publicly described his approach as a “prison revolution” and has reportedly called for the torture and killing of Palestinian detainees, demanded executions, and ordered photographs of Gaza’s destruction displayed inside prisons as a form of psychological abuse.
Documented Torture and Sexual Violence
UN experts have documented widespread and systematic abuses across Israeli detention facilities falling into several categories.
Physical abuse includes severe beatings, electrocution, waterboarding, prolonged stress positions, dog attacks, sleep deprivation, starvation, and excessive restraints that have in some cases led to amputation.
Sexual violence documented includes repeated rape, object rape, beatings and electrocution targeting genitals, and degrading strip searches.
Detention conditions involve severe overcrowding, denial of medical care, lack of sunlight and ventilation, and spread of diseases among detainees.
Deaths in Custody
At least 94 deaths have been documented since October 2023. Post-mortem evidence has revealed multiple rib fractures, internal hemorrhages, and organ lacerations in deceased detainees. At least one child is among those who died in custody.
No Israeli official has been held accountable for any of the documented deaths.
The UN Committee Against Torture has concluded that Israel maintains what it called a de facto state policy of organized and widespread torture.
Red Cross Access Blocked for Over Two Years
For 2 years, 8 months, and 15 days, Israel has blocked the International Committee of the Red Cross Torture (ICRC) from visiting or communicating with Palestinian detainees affecting between 9,000 and 10,000 individuals with no independent oversight mechanism.
Israel’s High Court recently ruled the ban unlawful, however new legislation has reportedly been introduced to reimpose the restriction, eliminating independent humanitarian monitoring entirely.
Legal Violations Cited
Finn Right International states these practices violate the UN Convention Against Torture, the Geneva Conventions, and established international humanitarian law.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture stated that the volume and severity of documented allegations reflect a gross disregard by Israel of its obligations to treat all detainees humanely.
Finn Right International’s Six Demands
On day 990, Finn Right International issued the following formal demands:
- Immediate and unconditional release of all Palestinians held in arbitrary detention including children, women, and those held without charge
- Immediate and unimpeded ICRC access to all Palestinian detainees in all Israeli facilities
- Full independent investigations into all allegations of torture, sexual violence, and deaths in custody
- Accountability for all perpetrators including Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and an end to institutional impunity
- An end to administrative detention and the unlawful combatants law used to hold Palestinians without charge
- Urgent international intervention to restore monitoring and enforce compliance with international law
- Torture Claims, ICRC
Conclusion
Finn Right International has called upon the international community, the United Nations, and all states party to the Geneva Conventions to intervene urgently to end what it describes as grave and systematic violations and secure the release of all arbitrarily detained Palestinians.
ICRC Access Denied: What Blocking Red Cross Means Under International Law
