In a converted military base now serving as a detention center in the Negev desert, an "Israeli" working at the facility captured two images of a scene he claims still haunts him.

According to a CNN Arabic investigation, rows of men in gray tracksuits were seen sitting on paper-thin mattresses, surrounded by barbed wire. All were blindfolded, their heads hanging under the glare of spotlights.

The "Israeli" who was at the facility told CNN that the air was filled with a foul smell and the room echoed with the men's voices. They were prohibited from speaking to each other, and the detainees murmured to themselves.

"We were told they are not allowed to move. They have to sit upright. They are not allowed to speak. They are not allowed to peek from under their blindfolds," he added.

He further explained that guards were instructed to shout 'silence' in Arabic and were told to "pick out troublemakers and punish them."

The facility has occasionally seen doctors amputating prisoners' limbs due to injuries from constant handcuffing, and sometimes medical procedures are performed by unqualified paramedics, earning it a reputation as a "good site for trainees." The air is reportedly filled with the smell of untreated wounds left to rot.

CNN spoke with three "Israelis" who were working at the "Sde Teiman" desert camp, where Palestinians detained during the aggression on the Gaza Strip are held. They all spoke of the risk of legal repercussions and retaliatory actions by groups supporting Israelie Occupation hardline policies in Gaza.

One of the "Israeli" informants shared his experience at Sde Teiman, saying, "We were told they are not allowed to move. They have to sit upright. They are not allowed to speak. They are not allowed to peek from under their blindfolds."

According to accounts, the facility, located about 18 miles (approximately 30 kilometers) from the Gaza border, is divided into two sections: containers where about 70 Palestinian detainees from Gaza are held under severe physical restraint, and a field hospital where injured detainees are tied to their beds and wear diapers.

One of the whistleblowers, who worked as a medic in the facility's field hospital, said, "They stripped them of anything human."

Another whistleblower stated, "(The beatings) were not for the purpose of gathering intelligence. It was out of revenge. It was punishment for what they (the Palestinians) did on October 7 last year, and for behaviors in the camp."

In response to CNN's request for comment on all the allegations in this report, the "Israeli" military stated, "The Israeli army ensures appropriate conduct towards the detainees held. Any claim of misconduct by Israeli army soldiers is examined and dealt with accordingly. In appropriate cases, investigations are opened by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division when suspected misconduct justifies such action."

"The detainees' hands are cuffed based on the level of danger and their health condition. Incidents of illegal cuffing are not known to the authorities."

The Israeli Occupation did not directly deny reports of people being stripped of their clothes or wearing diapers. Instead, the Israeli Occupation stated that detainees' clothes are returned to them once the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) determine they no longer pose a security threat.

Reports of abuses at Sde Teiman have already surfaced in "Israeli" and Arab media following protests by "Israeli" and Palestinian human rights groups about the conditions there. But this rare testimony from "Israelis" working at the facility sheds further light on the occupation's behavior as it wages aggression in Gaza, with new allegations of mistreatment.

It also casts further doubt on repeated assurances by the "Israeli" government that it acts according to internationally and legally accepted practices.

CNN requested permission from the IOF to access Sde Teiman base. Last month, a CNN team covered a small protest outside the base's main gate organized by "Israeli" activists demanding the facility's closure. The IOF  interrogated the team for about 30 minutes and requested to view the footage shot by the CNN photojournalist. "Israel" often subjects reporters, even foreign journalists, to military censorship concerning security issues.

Desert Detention
The Israeli Occupation acknowledged converting 3 different military facilities partially into detention camps for Palestinians from Gaza since the attack on October 7 last year. These facilities include Sde Teiman in the Negev Desert, along with Anatot and Ofer military bases in the occupied West Bank.

These camps are part of the infrastructure for the law of unlawful combatants, a revised legislation passed by the Knesset in December last year, which expanded the army's authority to detain suspected militants.

The law allows the Occupation to detain individuals for up to 45 days without a warrant, after which they must be transferred to the official "Israeli" Prison Service (IPS), where over 9,000 Palestinians are held under conditions that human rights groups say have significantly deteriorated since last October.

Last week, two Palestinian prisoner associations reported that 18 Palestinians, including the prominent Gaza surgeon Dr. Adnan Al-Barsh, had died in "Israeli" custody during the aggression

Source: CNN