JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Israel’s prison system is facing severe overcrowding as the number of security prisoners has nearly doubled to about 10,000 since the start of the Iron Swords War, creating major operational and security challenges, according to a new report by State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelmann.

Facilities operated by the Israel Prison Service and the Israel Defense Forces are operating well beyond their designed capacity, the report found. The cramped conditions are disrupting basic operations, security protocols and the ability to manage high-risk inmates.

The overcrowding is also straining the Shin Bet internal security agency, hindering interrogations and administrative detentions, the comptroller’s office said. Officials warned that the situation could weaken Israel’s overall capacity to address ongoing security threats.

“The sharp rise in security-related detentions has overwhelmed existing infrastructure,” the report stated, highlighting problems that extend beyond mere lack of space to broader issues affecting national security infrastructure.

Engelmann urged the government to declare prison expansion an urgent national project, which would expedite funding, planning and construction of new facilities or upgrades to existing ones. Such a designation would give the effort priority similar to other critical defense needs.

The audit is part of a series examining the wide-ranging effects of the Iron Swords War on Israeli society. It underscores immediate logistical and humanitarian concerns within the prison system as well as the longer-term need for resilient infrastructure to support national security during prolonged conflicts.

Without swift action, the report cautioned, the crisis risks creating deeper security vulnerabilities and further breakdowns in the penal system.