Western Media Bias and the Silenced Testimonies of Palestinian Detainees

Testimonies from recently released Palestinian detainees held in Israel reveal a systematic pattern of abuse, including rape and torture, against prisoners in detention, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reported on Monday.

Researchers and lawyers from the PCHR conducted interviews with men and women from the Gaza Strip who were recently released from Israeli detention. The former detainees recounted experiences of rape, forced stripping, filmed abuse, sexual assault involving objects and dogs, as well as severe psychological humiliation.

Researchers observed that detainees from various parts of Gaza, seized during Israel’s war on the enclave, were not formally charged, and no official legal process was conducted.

The center said the testimonies it collected show that Palestinian detainees are subjected to “deliberate psychological humiliation aimed at crushing human dignity and erasing individual identity entirely.”

Testimonies Uncover Systematic Rape and Torture of Palestinians by Israeli Forces

“I wished for death every moment,” said a 42-year-old mother who was detained while crossing an Israeli checkpoint in northern Gaza in November 2024.

She told the PCHR that she suffered repeated sexual assaults and physical abuse over several days. The former detainee recounted being stripped, electrocuted, beaten, and filmed while naked. "The rape lasted about 10 minutes. After that, they left me for an hour in the same position, with my hands cuffed to the bed with metal handcuffs, my face on the bed, my feet on the floor, and I was completely naked," the woman added.

She later stated that she was raped and beaten again, while multiple soldiers stood by, laughing and taking photos of her.

Another 35-year-old Palestinian man reported being detained by Israeli forces at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in March 2024. During his 19-month detention at the Sde Teiman military facility, he was stripped, beaten, threatened, and subjected to sexual assault by a dog.

He further stated that during this time, Israeli soldiers beat him and other prisoners, while also using pepper spray on their eyes to blur their vision and irritate them. "The dog’s assault lasted about three minutes… Afterward, a doctor stitched a wound in my head caused by the torture—seven stitches without anaesthesia. I also suffered bruises, fractures in my limbs, and a rib fracture," he said.

How Global Media Covered the PCHR Report on Palestinian Detainee Torture

While Israeli suffering is widely covered, the suffering of Palestinians is not portrayed. The experiences of those imprisoned in Israeli detentions, along with the pain of their families, are often lost amid the flow of news.

Misbar's team followed Western media coverage of the recent PCHR report and observed that international media outlets refrained from addressing it.

Furthermore, Misbar highlighted the differences between Western media coverage of Israeli claims that Hamas fighters carried out an organized campaign of mass rape during the October 7 attack and its coverage of the recent PCHR report detailing the systematic torture of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

Although major media organizations such as the NYT and BBC have reported on the Israeli allegation that Hamas committed sexual assaults on October 7, the PCHR’s latest report does not make it to the headlines. A clear double standard exists in the media’s portrayal of suffering among Israelis and Palestinians in this war.

Western Media Bias in Coverage of the War on Gaza

The double standard in Western media coverage of the Gaza war is widely recognized, with major outlets repeatedly accused of exhibiting pro-Israel bias in their reporting.

In March 2024, the U.N. report indicated that "At least two allegations of sexual violence widely repeated in the media were unfounded due to either new superseding information or inconsistency in the facts gathered."

Several mainstream media outlets have covered the report with some language modifications. For instance, the Associated Press described the rape claims at Kibbutz Be'eri—which the U.N. report and the kibbutz board deemed “unfounded”—as “allegations of rape that have not yet been verified.”

On March 5, 2024, a headline from The New York Times stated that the U.N. report revealed “evidence of sexual assault in Hamas-led attack on Israel.”

However, following social media backlash, the newspaper altered its headline without issuing a correction or apology, changing it to read: “U.N. team finds grounds to support reports of sexual violence in Hamas attack.” By “reports” here, it refers to the newspaper’s investigative report that it published on December 28 about the “systematic” sexual assaults on October 7, which has been and continues to be subjected to widespread criticism.

Previously, Misbar's investigative team reported how media distorted the United Nations report, which refuted Israeli allegations of sexual violence on October 7.

Palestinian Voices Silenced by Systematic Digital Suppression

With limited platforms available for oppressed Palestinians to share their stories and resist oppression, social media has become their last remaining space for expression and activism — one of the few tools they can use to challenge Israeli disinformation campaigns.

YouTube has deleted the accounts of three Palestinian human rights organizations and taken down hundreds of videos that documented alleged Israeli violations of international law, according to a recent report by The Intercept. The affected groups are Al-Haq, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

An analysis by The Intercept found that the closure of the three organizations’ accounts resulted in the deletion of more than 700 videos, including a documentary on mothers surviving atrocities in Gaza and a filmed investigation into the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

For years, the deleted channels had served as a visual archive documenting Israeli occupation crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as evidence for the International Criminal Court. The U.S. action—executed through YouTube—thus constitutes a direct political move that extends beyond the State Department’s formal sanctions. It places both the United States and its tech companies under legal and ethical responsibility for concealing documented war crimes.

YouTube, owned by Google, confirmed to The Intercept that it removed the accounts of three Palestinian human rights organizations in compliance with U.S. State Department sanctions.

How Censorship on Social Media Shapes the Gaza War Narrative

Since his reelection, U.S. President Donald Trump has adopted a more confrontational approach toward efforts to hold Israel accountable. Early in his second term, he reinstated sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) and introduced tougher measures against court officials and anyone accused of supporting their work. In September, he issued a new order specifically targeting the three Palestinian human rights organizations with sanctions.

The U.S. measures came after Israel labeled Al-Haq a “terrorist organization” in 2021 and launched an online smear campaign by pro-Israel activists seeking to associate the Palestinian Center for Human Rights with armed groups.

The sanctions block the organizations’ U.S. assets and prohibit sanctioned individuals from entering the country. Federal judges have already issued preliminary rulings in two cases, siding with plaintiffs who contend that the sanctions infringe upon their First Amendment rights.

Sarah Leah Whitson, who joined a coalition in September advocating for the sanctions to be lifted, stated, “The Trump administration has deliberately targeted information about Israeli atrocities in Palestine. The sanctions were designed to intimidate Americans from associating with these organizations for fear of violating material support laws.”

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights, described by the United Nations as Gaza’s oldest human rights organization, said YouTube’s actions “shield perpetrators from accountability.” Basil Sorani, the center’s international advocacy officer and legal advisor, said, “YouTube’s decision to shut down our account is just one of many consequences we have faced since the U.S. government sanctioned our organization for our legitimate work. YouTube claimed we violated community guidelines, even though our work focuses on fact-based, evidence-supported reporting on crimes against the Palestinian people, particularly since the ongoing atrocities began on Oct. 7.”

Moreover, the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights in Gaza reported that its YouTube channel was suddenly taken down on October 7 without any prior notice. A spokesperson stated that the shutdown “prevents us from reaching the people we aim to engage, carrying out our mission, achieving our goals, and connecting with the audience we hope to share our message with.”

Politically, the measures underscore a coordinated effort between the U.S. and major tech platforms to silence the Palestinian narrative and limit its reach to the global audience—particularly as international investigations into Israeli violations gain momentum. It also highlights the fragility of neutrality amid geopolitical interests, as online platforms increasingly serve as tools of surveillance and political gatekeeping rather than spaces for free expression.

Censorship Overshadows Real Abuse Cases

The PCHR has called for an independent international investigation into the allegations, urging the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to act “to stop systematic crimes against detainees and hold perpetrators accountable.”

It urged the U.N. Secretary-General, the international community, and human rights organizations to act immediately to prevent Israeli soldiers and prison authorities from detaining and torturing Palestinians.

Moreover, it pointed out that Israel has barred organizations like the Red Cross from accessing Israeli prisons to monitor the conditions in which Palestinians are held and called for this restriction to be lifted.

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