Palestinian prisoner and political activist Lama Khater has described what she said were harsh conditions during her detention in Israeli custody, alleging systematic abuse inside interrogation centres and prisons.
According to a statement relayed by her lawyer following a recent visit, Khater said Palestinian female prisoners face ongoing violations, including beatings, humiliation, strip searches and solitary confinement.
Khater was arrested after Israeli forces raided her home in Hebron in the early hours of 23 March 2026. She was then transferred to the Al-Moskobiya interrogation centre in occupied Jerusalem.
READ: Israeli Security Minister Ben-Gvir appoints relatives of slain Israelis as prison inspectors: Reports
She described Al-Moskobiya prison as “hell,” stating that guards subjected her to a full strip search upon arrival followed by a severe beating and violent physical assault.
Khater said she was later thrown into a dark and extremely cold cell, where she faced what she described as further punitive and degrading treatment. She alleged that guards forcibly removed her hijab, confiscated her prescription glasses, repeatedly insulted her and her family, and deliberately poured water on her mattress, worsening her suffering in the cold conditions.
Her testimony comes amid growing reports from Palestinian prisoners’ and human rights organisations regarding the conditions of female detainees in Israeli prisons. These reports allege the use of strict punitive measures and repeated violations, including solitary confinement, degrading searches, and deprivation of basic rights and healthcare.
READ: ‘I would have burned’: US citizen recounts Israeli occupier attack in West Bank town
