Mental health professionals Gwyn Daniel and Phil Gaunt have published a critical analysis in The Guardian, highlighting widespread psychological harm within Israeli detention facilities. They describe patterns of abuse—including torture, prolonged arbitrary detention, and degrading treatment—as part of a coordinated strategy rather than isolated incidents. Their findings are based on direct collaboration with Palestinian mental health practitioners and reflect consistent reports of systemic mistreatment that target the mental well-being of detainees.
The authors argue these practices serve a broader political objective: weakening the psychological strength and collective agency of Palestinian communities. By institutionalizing humiliation and fear, they suggest, state policies aim to dismantle civil society structures over time. This perspective connects individual trauma to larger state actions, framing psychological suffering as an intentional outcome of incarceration. The piece contributes to international discourse on how punitive detention systems can function as tools of control, urging greater attention to the mental health impacts of such policies.