UN REF: UN REF: A/HRC/58/NGO/291

Date: 20 Feb 2025

Title: Torture and Genocide: The Suffering of Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Prisons after October 7th, 2023

Written statement submitted by The Palestinian Return Centre Ltd, a non-governmental organisation in special consultative status. Human Rights Council Fifty-eighth session 24 February–4 April 2025 Agenda item 3: Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

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Press Release

UN Documents Publishes PRC Report on Systematic Torture and Genocide Against Palestinian Prisoners

Geneva - The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) said that its latest report, Torture and Genocide: The Suffering of Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Prisons after October 7th, 2023, has been officially published by UN Documents as part of the United Nations Human Rights Council's 58th session (Ref: A/HRC/58/NGO/291).

The report sheds light on the grave and systematic violations committed by Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinian prisoners, particularly following the events of October 7, 2023. It documents the unprecedented escalation of torture, medical neglect, and cases of deliberate killings inside Israeli prisons and detention centers.

Drawing on firsthand testimonies from former prisoners, the report highlights various methods of abuse, including severe beatings, sexual violence, psychological torture, and inhumane detention conditions. It also details the construction of new detention facilities, including an underground prison in Ramla, and documents the deaths of 54 Palestinian detainees since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

In its conclusions, the PRC emphasizes that these practices violate numerous international laws and conventions, including the 1984 Convention Against Torture, the Geneva Conventions, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The report calls for urgent independent international investigations under UN supervision and renewed efforts to hold Israeli officials accountable for crimes against humanity.

The Palestinian Return Centre stresses the urgent need for the international community to intervene by enhancing documentation efforts, supporting human rights organizations, ensuring access to detainees by neutral parties such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, and applying political and diplomatic pressure to end Israel’s ongoing violations.

The full report is available through the United Nations Human Rights Council’s official document system and through the PRC’s platforms.