“Teeth were broken, bones were broken,” said one soldier. “You notice how easy it is to lose your humanity,” said another.

An Israeli newspaper on Friday published interviews with Israel Defence Forces reservists and medical staff who witnessed the “day-to-day torture” of Palestinian prisoners at the notorious Sde Teiman prison in the Negev Desert, where dozens of detainees have died and others were allegedly raped.

The Israelis described seeing torture and abuse of Palestinians detained in Sde Teiman, who included everyone from Hamas fighters to innocent civilians, and ranged in age from children to octogenarians.

“We said, ‘It’s torture.’ But you don’t get into it; you change the subject immediately.”

‘Insane torture’: Israeli soldiers confirm horrific abuse of Palestinians at Sde Teiman