Dozens of Palestinians from Gaza, including civilians, are being held in an underground Israeli detention facility known as the Rakefet complex, where they are deprived of daylight, adequate food, and contact with the outside world, according to lawyers representing the detainees.

A report by The Guardian on Saturday revealed that at least two civilians—a nurse detained in his scrubs and a young food seller—have been kept in the subterranean prison without charge or trial since January. Lawyers from the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) stated that the men endure regular beatings and abuse consistent with documented torture practices in Israeli detention centers.

Originally opened in the early 1980s to house a small number of high-risk organized crime figures, Rakefet prison was closed after a few years for being inhumane. In the wake of the October 7, 2023 attacks, far-right Israeli security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered the facility reopened.

The prison is entirely underground, including the cells, a tiny exercise area, and the lawyer meeting room, leaving detainees completely cut off from natural light. While Rakefet was initially designed for only 15 inmates, the facility now holds around 100 Palestinians, according to PCATI.

Tal Steiner, PCATI’s executive director, described the conditions as “horrific by intention,” noting the severe impact of prolonged underground confinement on both physical and psychological health. He warned that deprivation of daylight disrupts circadian rhythms, sleep patterns, and vitamin D production, while the oppressive environment inflicts lasting trauma on detainees.

Under the ceasefire reached in mid-October, Israel released 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza who had been held indefinitely without charge, along with 250 convicted prisoners. However, at least 1,000 Palestinians remain detained under the same abusive conditions.

Classified Israeli data indicates that the majority of those detained during the war were civilians, raising serious questions about legality under international humanitarian law. PCATI stated that the continued detention of Palestinians under these conditions “amounts to torture and violates international law,” even after hostilities officially ended.

Current and former detainees, along with whistleblowers from the Israeli military, have detailed systemic violations of international law across Israeli prisons. Rakefet, however, imposes a uniquely severe form of abuse, due to its total deprivation of natural light and oppressive underground confinement, Steiner said.

Rights groups have also highlighted the Israeli Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling that allows Israel to hold Palestinian bodies as bargaining chips—a policy they claim is now being extended to living detainees from Gaza.

The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) stated that it “operates in accordance with the law and under the supervision of official comptrollers” but claimed it is “not responsible for the legal process, classification of detainees, arrest policy, or arrests.”

The justice ministry directed questions about Rakefet to the Israeli military, which in turn referred inquiries back to the IPS.

Human rights advocates warn that continued indefinite detention, torture, and the use of underground prisons to oppress civilians constitutes a war crime. PCATI and other rights groups are calling for immediate international oversight and the release of all civilians being unlawfully detained.

“Palestinians from Gaza remain imprisoned under wartime conditions despite the ceasefire, and their suffering is invisible to the world,” Steiner said. “Immediate action is needed to end these abuses and hold those responsible accountable.” (ILKHA)