Leaked scenes from Israel's Megiddo prison reveal abuse of Palestinian prisoners

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz published leaked footage from the security wing of Megiddo Prison showing the abuse of Palestinian prisoners and the use of dogs to humiliate them.

The footage shows Palestinian prisoners forced to lie on the ground by Israeli jailers, with their hands tied behind their backs, while a jailer walks with a dog over their heads.

The newspaper quoted prisoners held in Megiddo Prison as saying that "the jailers take us to places where there are no cameras and beat us in sensitive areas."

On the other hand, a senior official in the Israeli Prison Service told the newspaper, "We are aware of the extreme violence that detainees are subjected to in Megiddo Prison."

However, the Israeli Prison Service says that the procedures applied to Palestinian prisoners are "routine," according to the newspaper.

According to a report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Palestinian detainees at Megiddo Prison are systematically subjected to humiliation and torture. The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) later claimed this was part of a "routine drill" to ensure safety, but provided no evidence of seized weapons.

One Palestinian testified that Israeli guards take detainees to areas away from surveillance to torture them, including hitting them in their groins and private parts. A senior IPS official confirmed awareness of the severe violence against Palestinian detainees in Megiddo Prison.

The Commission of Prisoners' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club had explained that Megiddo Prison is one of the prisons "that witnessed horrific crimes and systematic torture of prisoners after October 7th", and they documented the martyrdom of a number of prisoners inside the prison.