News › Oct. 22, 2026
Released detainees · Axon
Four former detainees say they were tortured with US-made electroshock weapons
A double amputee arrested in Jabalia says he was tied up and shocked in Israeli detention, a Guardian–ARIJ investigation reports. The inquiry also found that Axon, the US maker of Tasers, appears to have kept signing contracts with Israeli entities.
Essa, a pseudonym used by the Guardian and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), says that in detention he was dragged into a section known as Hell’s Wing and shot twice with rubber bullets. He says he collapsed, was tied up tightly and shocked.
The 43-year-old had both feet amputated after an Israeli missile attack on his home, before his arrest in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp in January 2024. He was held at Ofer Prison and released in October 2025. The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims says closely spaced double scars suggest repeated shocks while he was “tightly restrained.”
Three other released detainees allege they were tortured with Axon weapons between 2024 and 2025. Two Israel Prison Service videos from the past year show a gun that appears to be an Axon Taser, the investigation says; all four say it was the weapon used on them.
Axon appears to have kept signing contracts with Israeli entities, the investigation found. As recently as June 2025, it showcased its latest electroshock models to Israeli security agencies.
An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said abuse of detainees was strictly prohibited. Axon and the Israel Prison Service were approached for comment, the Guardian said.
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