Investigation: Israel used US-made Tasers to torture Palestinian detainees

A joint investigation by The Guardian and the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) found that Tasers manufactured by US company Axon were repeatedly used against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons during 2024 and 2025.

Hilal Times Editorial DeskOctober 31, 2026, 04:51 PMUpdated: October 31, 2026, 05:03 PM

Investigation: Israel used US-made Tasers to torture Palestinian detainees

A joint investigation by the British newspaper The Guardian and the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) found that TASER electric stun devices manufactured by US company Axon Enterprise were repeatedly used against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and detention centers during 2024 and 2025.

Daraj republished the investigation's findings this week. They are based on testimonies from former detainees and the nature of the injuries found on their bodies, while the investigation concludes that using the devices in this manner violates US export-control regulations.

رسم توضيحي لصاعق «تيزر إكس 26»

The effects of electric shocks on the body

A former detainee named Issa, whose home in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip was destroyed in late 2023, said he was subjected to electric shocks while detained at Ofer Prison. He was released in October 2025, but the marks from the shocks are still visible on his body. Other former detainees gave similar testimonies.

The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims said that clusters of scars can result from the repeated use of a stun gun, indicating that the person was probably restrained during the shocking.

The investigation said that footage produced for the Israel Prison Service in September 2025 and April 2026 shows a device resembling a TASER. It also noted that an investigation by Israel's military prosecution into the case of five soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility in July 2024 said the detainee had been shocked in the head with a TASER.

Deals and partnerships

According to the investigation, Israel's police sought in March 2023 to purchase spare parts for TASER X26P devices worth 3.5 million shekels, or about $1.1 million, from MR Hunter, Axon's Israeli distributor. The company won the tender in January 2024 to supply the stun devices for one year, with the contract extendable for up to seven years. Axon representatives also promoted the company's latest TASER models at a security conference in Israel in June 2025.

Axon did not respond to the investigation team's questions about its sales to Israel or its monitoring of how its devices are used. An Israeli military spokesperson said that mistreatment of detainees is strictly prohibited.

A gap in international oversight

According to Axon's 2025 annual report, the devices are manufactured in Arizona, while their exports are overseen by the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security. Patrick Wilcken of Amnesty International said that projectile electric-shock weapons are not covered by the Arms Trade Treaty, creating a gap in oversight. The UN Committee against Torture confirmed in 2025 that cases of torture and ill-treatment in Israeli detention centers had risen sharply since October 7, 2023.

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Investigation: Israel used US-made Tasers to torture Palestinian detainees