Sudanese asylum seekers abused in Israeli detention facility used for Palestinians

Two Sudanese asylum seekers have claimed that they were blindfolded, handcuffed and threatened while being held incommunicado by the Israeli military for two weeks. The men said that were only allowed to shower once during their detention and were forced to drink water from a dirty bathroom tap. Soldiers reportedly pointed guns at them, threw food on the floor and denied them any access to legal aid.

Their testimonies are in a report published by Haaretz, which has uncovered the Israeli army’s treatment of asylum seekers who cross into Israel from Jordan.

According to the report, the two men — both fleeing from Darfur, a region currently facing genocide at the hands of militias armed and funded by the UAE, a close ally of Israel — were held in a military facility typically used for Palestinian security detainees. The UAE is currently facing a trial at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its alleged role in the Sudanese genocide.

The asylum seekers were captured near Jericho after crossing the border in February. For two weeks, they were denied access to immigration authorities or a judge. They were transferred to the Population and Immigration Authority only after sustained detention, kep in administrative custody for another month.

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According to Haaretz, the Israeli army admitted to detaining the men but denied abusing them. A statement from the IDF claimed that they were “not cuffed or blindfolded” and were treated according to international standards. The army’s claim is contradicted by direct testimony provided to the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants, an Israeli human rights group.

One of the men said that he paid $2,500 to a smuggler in Jordan who took him from Amman to Mount Nebo and told them where to cross the border. The men said that they were desperate and feared for their lives if they stayed in Jordan, which is not a signatory of the International Refugee Convention.

The pair’s case gained further attention after a court hearing revealed that the Israeli authorities intended to deport them back to Jordan, despite apparent dangers to their lives. A border control officer admitted difficulties in carrying out such deportations, prompting a judge to order their release.

This incident follows a deadly escalation at the border last month when Israeli forces shot and killed three asylum seekers — two Eritreans and one Ethiopian — who were trying to enter Israel to join family members. Haaretz reported that this was the first known case of refugees being killed while crossing Israel’s eastern border.

Israeli policy currently allows for “hot returns”, which enable asylum seekers to be deported back to Jordan within 12–24 hours of crossing. Rights groups say that this practice violates international law when it places individuals at risk of persecution or harm, circumstances common for refugees from Sudan. 

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