The most dangerous and cruel terrorists held by the Prison Service are imprisoned in the Rakefet wing of Ayalon Prison.
The wing, which is almost a year old, holds dozens of Hamas Nuhba terrorists and naval commandos, as well as Radwan Force terrorists who were arrested during IDF raids in Lebanon.
Network B provided a glimpse inside the walls of the underground structure, along with conversations with the people responsible for guarding the place, who have to maintain vigilance around the clock.
The wing is built like a sealed concrete vault. Smart cameras are installed in each cell and are capable of tracking and monitoring every detail of the prisoners' movements.
The commander of the wing talks about the daily work. "The wing holds prisoners who took part in the October 7 massacre. The most difficult prisoners, who committed the most serious offenses, are here. Most of them belong to Hamas' Nuhba. From an operational point of view, it is defined as a tactical wing. It is also the first wing of its kind in the IPS, which is undergoing a pilot. Everyone who works in this wing works without a name: that is, with an operational name tag, with a number.".
The guards in the Rakefet wing are required to have their "finger on the pulse" at any given moment, as an unusual event may occur at any moment. "All the staff working in this wing has undergone special training, mostly mental, to know how to deal with the challenges that exist in this wing - and there is no shortage of them. Every day and several times a day there is some kind of dilemma here, some kind of challenge that we have to think about how to deal with.".
The conditions in which the terrorists are held are "minimal, according to international law.".
The prisoners are locked in their cells 24 hours a day, except for one hour a day, when they are allowed to go out to a small, fortified room with concrete walls, with a little daylight visible through the bars above.
In front of the prisoners' eyes, on the wall, there is a large photograph of destroyed Gaza.
The terrorists' entire lives take place in the wing - including meetings with lawyers, doctors, and legal hearings in their case.
When the guards enter the wing, there are two knocks on the cell door - and the message is clear: the prisoners immediately sit down, hunched over, with their hands behind their backs and their faces toward the floor until the porthole closes. No one speaks to them.
During their one hour outside the cell, they have to take a seven-minute shower, clean their cell, and walk around the concrete yard. They are not allowed to talk to each other. Food comes in three times a day.
""We have made mental preparations for all the fighters who work here. Even when we need help, professional or mental support, we receive it. We are constantly accompanied by professionals and there is no problem with that, we know how to deal with any challenge," says the division commander.
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