Solitary confinement, surveillance, and psychological tactics: Inside Israel’s underground orison

Israel’s KAN Radio revealed that Israeli authorities have detained dozens of special forces from Hamas' military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, as well as fighters from Hezbollah’s elite al-Radwan unit, in a newly opened underground facility within Ramla Prison, operational since last September.

The Hebrew-language report described this new underground prison as a "sealed concrete cage", where prisoners are kept under constant 24-hour surveillance with smart cameras monitoring even their smallest movements within their cells. The conditions, according to the report, meet only the bare minimum required by international law.

According to KAN Radio, these prisoners, some of whom participated in the October 7th operation, are held in complete isolation inside locked cells around the clock. They are allowed just one hour a day in what prison authorities cynically call a “yard” — a small, fortified room with concrete walls and a ceiling where faint sunlight filters through iron bars.

In a psychological and oppressive tactic, prison officials have hung a large photo of Gaza’s ruins on the yard wall so the prisoners face this reminder of their devastated homeland even during their solitary hour outside the cell.

The report added that prisoners are required to clean their cells, take showers within seven minutes, and walk silently in the so-called yard, strictly forbidden from speaking to other prisoners.

According to KAN’s information, these detainees are never permitted to leave the prison premises, even for legal consultations or medical treatment; all such interactions occur within the prison itself, further deepening their isolation. When a guard enters the cell, prisoners must crouch with their hands behind their backs and their heads lowered toward the floor until the door is shut again. Communication between prisoners is strictly prohibited, and meals are silently delivered three times a day.

Although Israeli authorities attempt to justify these practices under international legal standards, human rights organizations classify such treatment as cruel, inhuman, and degrading, especially given that many of these prisoners have not received fair trials and remain in prolonged psychological and physical isolation.