Israeli Prison Guards Celebrated in Real Time as Palestinian Prisoner Was Beaten to Death, Investigation Shows

Israeli prison guards exchanged celebratory messages as Palestinian prisoner Thaer Abu Asab was allegedly beaten so severely that he later died, according to an indictment and investigation files reported by Haaretz . Twelve current and former Israel Prison Service personnel were indicted on 1 September over Abu Asab's death at Ketziot Prison in November 2023 and the alleged assault of eight other Palestinian prisoners. Prosecutors charged all 12 with reckless homicide, alongside offences including aggravated assault and causing serious bodily harm. The shift commander and shift sergeant also face obstruction charges. WhatsApp messages seized by investigators reportedly show guards discussing the violence while it was still unfolding. One female guard told her partner that medics were performing CPR and wrote that she hoped Abu Asab would die. Another reportedly celebrated how badly the prisoners had been beaten. A third guard described blood throughout the wing before writing that Abu Asab had died, according to Haaretz . The messages became important evidence because investigators struggled to determine which individual guards delivered the blows that ultimately killed him. The indictment says the incident began on 18 November 2023 after Abu Asab asked a guard whether there was a ceasefire, or hudna , in the Gaza war. Prosecutors allege the shift commander subsequently organised an unusual entry into Cell 6 during the evening count to demonstrate that there was 'no ceasefire'. Prisoners told investigators that guards and members of the Keter tactical unit entered while inmates were kneeling with their heads down. They allegedly punched and kicked the prisoners and, in some cases, used batons. Witnesses said Abu Asab received the worst of the beating and was left unconscious, bleeding and with his face turning blue. According to the indictment, the beating caused tears in the walls of Abu Asab's heart and multiple broken ribs. Prosecutors said the resulting cardiac and respiratory injuries caused his death. He was taken to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, where his death was confirmed. The Haaretz investigation goes beyond the fatal assault, describing testimony from guards who claimed violence against Palestinian prisoners had become routine. One guard reportedly told investigators that senior commanders considered such incidents normal. Another alleged that prison personnel regularly entered cells to beat detainees and did not formally report what happened. Shift commander Walid Hatib, whom prosecutors accuse of initiating and overseeing the assault, also accused senior officers of entering cells in Keter tactical gear, which includes helmets that conceal identities. Ketziot commander Brigadier General Yosef Knipes denied those allegations and told investigators the claims were 'divorced from reality'. The testimony described in the investigation suggests the alleged violence was not viewed by some personnel as an isolated incident, but as part of a broader pattern of conduct inside the prison that investigators were trying to understand. The Israel Prison Service said the incident occurred under the previous commissioner and stressed that the current leadership had dismissed some of those involved, saying it would not tolerate violations of the law. Abu Asab, 38, was a Fatah member who had been imprisoned since 2005 on an attempted-murder conviction relating to a terror attack. The sweeping indictments highlight a disturbing institutional culture of abuse inside the detention facility, prompting immediate condemnation and widespread calls for comprehensive penal reforms.