Inside Israel's Detention System: The Severe Conditions and Policies Enforced Under Itamar Ben-Gvir

When Palestinian photojournalist and former prisoner Muath Amarneh witnessed Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir releasing videos boasting about the harsh conditions faced by imprisoned Palestinians, he reflected on the reality of what occurs behind the scenes. “When a figure like that comes to the prisons, they don’t show everything. What they do show is only certain video clips where the arrogance of that figure comes through,” Amarneh told Al Jazeera. “But before and after, the prisoner is subjected to humiliation and beatings they don’t show the public. That whole hour of humiliation, they show half a minute of it, or a minute, or two minutes.”

Ben-Gvir, who oversees Israel’s prison system, has spent recent weeks broadcasting what he presents as achievements in office. An AI-generated video shared on social media in August depicted well-fed Palestinian men on a conveyor belt entering a detention facility and emerging emaciated and weeping, accompanied by the caption “We promised, we delivered.” The post was later deleted as comparisons to Nazi concentration camps grew. Days afterward, he shared footage of himself confronting female detainees. One prisoner stated she had not showered in three days and lacked medical treatment. “The good conditions in the prisons are over,” Ben-Gvir told her. “I am directly responsible for everything. I am pleased with these conditions.”

Testimonies from detainees and records from Palestinian advocacy groups illustrate the impact of these policies. Amarneh, 39, a resident of the Dheisheh refugee camp south of Bethlehem, has faced administrative detention twice since the conflict in Gaza began. According to Addameer, a Palestinian prisoners’ advocacy group, the number of administrative detainees has reached roughly 3,200, more than double the approximately 1,300 held prior to October 7, 2023. While Israel and the United States accuse Addameer of supporting terrorism—an allegation the organization denies—Amarneh's encounters with Israeli forces began with his work as a photojournalist.

In 2019, Israeli forces shot Amarneh with a rubber-coated metal bullet while he covered clashes near Hebron while wearing a press vest, resulting in the loss of his left eye and shrapnel near his skull. He was first placed under administrative detention in October 2023, spending nine months in Megiddo and Nafha prisons. Following his release, he shifted toward documentary work to minimize his risk of re-arrest. Nevertheless, he was arrested again in August 2025 and detained for eight months at Ofer prison without charge. “My charge was working in media,” he stated.

Sahar Francis, a lawyer and former executive director of Addameer, noted that Ben-Gvir’s tenure as minister has intensified existing practices within the prison authority rather than inventing them from scratch. “From his first day overseeing the prison authority, he closed the only two bakeries producing bread for detainees,” Francis said. Following October 7, conditions deteriorated further with the suspension of family visits, Red Cross access, and months of restricted legal representation. Food, clothing, and books were largely confiscated, medical clinics were shuttered, and daily raids by special units led to widespread physical abuse and multiple deaths in custody, according to Francis.

During his detention periods, Amarneh experienced a weight loss of 35kg (77 pounds) over nine months. He described the transformation of facilities into places where life became unsustainable. By his second arrest in 2025, he noted further deterioration, including being stripped of prescription glasses for six months, restricted hygiene access, and verbal abuse from guards. Medical care remained severely limited, and international bodies such as the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled his first detention unlawful and discriminatory, though such decisions lack enforcement mechanisms.

Francis suggested that Ben-Gvir’s public statements claiming direct responsibility for prison conditions could be relevant for potential accountability measures through the International Criminal Court (ICC). Al Jazeera reached out to Ben-Gvir, the Israeli National Security ministry, and the Israeli military for comment, but received no response. Following his release in April, Amarneh remains largely confined to his home in the Dheisheh camp, facing ongoing psychological pressures and reflecting on the broader aims of the detention policies.