Dozens of Palestinians from Gaza are being held in Israel’s underground Rakefet Prison, where they are deprived of sunlight, sufficient food, and communication with the outside world. Human rights lawyers report that some detainees, including civilians, remain imprisoned for months without any charges or trial, according to sources cited in The Guardian.

Civilians Held Without Charges

Lawyers from the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) stated that among the detainees are at least two civilians: a nurse detained in a surgical gown in December 2023, and a young food vendor arrested at an Israeli checkpoint in October 2024. Both were transferred to the Rakefet complex in January, where they report experiencing regular beatings and other forms of abuse.

Initially built in the early 1980s to house Israel’s most dangerous organized crime figures, Rakefet was closed a few years later due to its inhumane conditions. Far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered its reopening in 2023 following the October 7 attacks.

The prison’s underground cells include only a small exercise yard and a lawyers’ meeting room, leaving detainees entirely deprived of natural light.

Rising Numbers Amid Partial Releases

Rakefet was designed to hold 15 high-security prisoners individually. However, PCATI’s official data shows that nearly 100 detainees are currently held there.

Following a mid-October ceasefire, Israel released 250 Palestinians convicted in Israeli courts and 1,700 Gazans held indefinitely without charges, including the young food vendor. Still, over 1,000 Palestinians remain in underground detention, including the nurse represented by PCATI.

“Even though the war is officially over, Palestinians in Gaza continue to be held under legally questionable, violent conditions that violate international humanitarian law and amount to torture,” PCATI said.

Conditions Described as Extreme

PCATI Executive Director Tal Steiner described the conditions in all Israeli prisons as “intentionally horrific,” with Rakefet presenting a uniquely extreme form of abuse. Detainees are kept underground for months without sunlight, affecting both psychological and physical health, disrupting circadian rhythms, vitamin D production, and sleep.

PCATI lawyers first visited the underground prison this year. Detainees were escorted by heavily armed, masked guards down dirty staircases into a room filled with insect remains. Toilets were nearly unusable, and surveillance cameras violated confidential attorney-client communication rights.

Physical and Psychological Abuse

Detainees reported regular physical abuse, including beatings, attacks by muzzled dogs, and guards stepping on them, as well as inadequate medical care and starvation-level rations. Outside their cells, they are allowed minimal time in a small underground chamber, sometimes only a few minutes every two days. Beds are removed early in the morning and returned late at night, leaving prisoners on metal frames in empty cells.

Statements from detainees align with public remarks by Ben-Gvir, who described Rakefet as a facility for “terrorists’ natural environment—underground” during a televised visit.

Limited Contact With Family

The nurse has not had contact with her family since detention, and the only personal information available to lawyers came from a relative who authorized PCATI to represent her. The young food vendor was similarly cut off; guards terminated a conversation when he asked about his pregnant wife’s safety.

Both detainees have been held without evidence or representation during brief, video-monitored hearings, with judges stating they would remain in detention “until the war ends.”

Official Responses

The Israel Prison Service (IPS) declined to comment on the status and identities of other detainees at Rakefet. The Ministry of Justice redirected questions about Rakefet to the Israeli military, which in turn referred them back to IPS.