Occupied Jerusalem, June 30 (SANA) A photograph posted by Palestinian journalist Mujahid Bani Mufleh following his release from an Israeli prison has sparked widespread reaction on social media, showing visible physical damage to part of his skull, which he attributes to the treatment he received during his 14 months in detention, according to his testimony.
Bani Mufleh, from the village of Beita, south of Nablus, posted the image on his Instagram account along with a detailed account of his prison experience and the prolonged medical rehabilitation process he has undergone since his release.
According to his account, he was detained in late June 2025 after Israeli occupation forces raided his home and transferred him to Menashe Prison, located in the Salem military complex in the northern West Bank.
In the text accompanying the photograph, the journalist described the conditions he said he endured during his incarceration, marked by hunger, loss of autonomy and physical deterioration.
“Fourteen months in prison and the long rehabilitation process that followed were enough to change me forever,” Bani Mufleh wrote. He said he had come to understand during that period “the true meaning of hunger” — going to sleep and waking up in pain from lack of food, and how “a loaf of bread can become a dream.”
He also said he suffered the loss of control over the most basic aspects of daily life. “I learned the meaning of humiliation when others control the details of your daily life: when you eat, when you sleep, when you get up,” he wrote.
The journalist added that after his release, the physical recovery process was marked by difficulty performing basic tasks. “Getting out of bed became a battle, a single step became an achievement,” he wrote, adding that the experience made him value everyday actions such as walking, sleeping without pain or eating until full.
The post triggered a wave of reactions from journalists, activists and social media users, who compared earlier photographs of the reporter with his current appearance and denounced the physical deterioration he presented following his detention.
Israeli authorities have not commented on the claims made by Bani Mufleh or on the circumstances of his detention or health condition during his incarceration.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, approximately 9,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli occupation prisons, including about 3,800 in administrative detention — imprisonment without charge or trial.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have documented systematic abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israeli occupation custody, reporting that Israeli authorities have subjected Palestinian prisoners to torture and other ill-treatment “as a matter of policy,” including beatings, sleep deprivation, solitary confinement and denial of medical care. Israel maintains that its prisons operate in accordance with the law and that it investigates allegations of abuse when evidence exists.
KhA / Mzn
