Israeli Underground Detention Facility and Administrative Detention of Palestinians

A number of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have been held in Israeli detention facilities without formal charges or trial, including in an underground jail known as Rakefet, lawyers and rights groups say. The Rakefet complex, reopened after October 7, 2023, holds detainees entirely below ground with no access to natural light, limited contact with the outside world, and reports of physical abuse. Dozens of civilians, including a medical technician and a young vendor, were reported held there for months. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Palestinian lawyers representing detainees describe the subterranean cells and lawyer meeting areas as deprived of daylight and ventilation, a situation that detainees and legal advocates say can have serious psychological and health impacts. Some detainees have been held there without charge or formal trial proceedings for extended periods. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

In addition to the Rakefet facility, broader detention practices include administrative detention, under which persons can be held without charge based on classified information and without a public trial. Rights organizations report thousands of Palestinians in Israeli custody under these measures, with groups noting that the majority of Palestinian prisoners held since 2023 have not been charged or convicted in court. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Human rights organizations and lawyers have criticized these practices as lacking due process, pointing to the use of secret evidence, renewable detention orders, and indefinite confinement without trial. Independent reports also note deaths in custody and claims of abuse in detention facilities, including assaults and deprivation of adequate conditions. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}