Ofer prison raid with Itamar Ben-Gvir: Prisoners report repressive parade
GAZA, Feb. 16 (YPA) – Palestinian Prisoner Club released new testimonies from detainees held in Ofer Prison describing an incursion by Israeli repression forces, accompanied by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Hebrew media outlets.
In a statement, the club characterized the event as a “repressive parade” intended to justify violations against Palestinian prisoners.
Following a visit by the club’s lawyer to several detainees, it reported that the operation targeted Section 26 and took place during what authorities call the evening “security check.”
The raid reportedly lasted about 15 minutes and involved police dogs and stun grenades, while media personnel were present inside the facility.
According to prisoner accounts, Ben-Gvir remained in the section for roughly an hour and delivered remarks that included insulting and provocative language. The operation concluded without reported injuries.
The club said the incident appeared to be a propaganda display, reflecting competition among ministers in what it described as an extremist Israeli government to intensify retaliatory measures against Palestinians.
The statement further asserted that the publication of videos showing the repression and mistreatment of detainees—alongside slogans linked to proposed legislation on the execution of prisoners—serves as a key tool of political messaging.
According to the club, such material was intended to build support among settlers and publicize practices inside Israeli prisons, which it described as sites of “genocide.”
It claimed these policies have resulted in the deaths of more than 100 prisoners and detainees since the start of the current conflict, with the identities of 88 of them publicly confirmed.
It added that the circulated footage represents only a small portion of what it described as a systematic pattern of torture, supported by hundreds of legal testimonies and accounts from former detainees.
Testimonies also affirmed that during his visits the Israeli minister stepped on prisoners’ heads and filmed their humiliation.
Detainees were reportedly forced to keep their faces close to the ground during raids, measures the club said were designed to degrade them and inflict both physical and psychological suffering.
The club argued that the distribution of images and videos forms part of a broader policy aimed at breaking the will of Palestinian prisoners, intimidating their families, and shaping public perceptions, which it described as evidence of a “race for brutality” within Israeli society for political advantage.
It renewed its call for urgent international action, urging that the International Committee of the Red Cross be allowed to inspect detainees and their conditions, that families be granted visitation rights, that sanctions be imposed on Israel and its leadership, and that policies of impunity be halted.
The club urgently called for international action, allowing International Committee of the Red Cross visits to assess detention conditions, and enabling family visits, in additional to imposing sanctions on Israel and its leaders, and ending the culture of impunity.
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