HomeInternational NewsUN Report Accuses Israel of Torture and Detention of Palestinians

UN Report Accuses Israel of Torture and Detention of Palestinians

A new report from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reveals that Israel has detained thousands of Palestinians during the ongoing conflict in Gaza and is accused of numerous instances of torture. The report, published on Wednesday, details widespread abuses against detainees held in isolation under arbitrary and prolonged detention.

The 23-page report is based on interviews with former prisoners and other victims from the period of October 7 to June 30. It concludes that “thousands of Palestinians,” including medical personnel, have been “taken from Gaza to Israel, usually handcuffed and blindfolded.” According to the report, by the end of June, there were more than 9,400 “security detainees” in the Israeli prison system, and those held “have been kept in secrecy, without any justification for their detention” and without access to legal counsel.

The report confirms that “at least 53 Palestinian detainees” are known to have died in Israeli detention facilities and describes “allegations of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, including sexual abuse of both women and men.” This information was released concurrently with the Israeli military’s investigation of nine soldiers over allegations of “significant abuses” against a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention camp in the Negev Desert in southern Israel.

Earlier this week, eight Palestinian prisoners who were released by the Israeli army stated that they experienced torture during their time at Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank. Former Palestinian detainees have informed the UN that they were held in “cage-like facilities, stripped naked for extended periods, and dressed only in diapers.” Documented abuses included deprivation of food, sleep, and water, as well as being burned with cigarettes. “Some detainees reported that dogs were unleashed on them, while others recounted waterboarding or being hung from the ceiling with their hands tied. Some women and men also mentioned sexual and gender-based violence,” the report states.

Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that the collected testimonies indicate a range of horrific actions, “in blatant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.”

The Israeli military rarely provides reasons for detaining Palestinians in Gaza, although in some cases it has cited connections to Palestinian armed groups or their political wings. The report also highlights that Israel fails to provide information regarding the fate of those detained, while the International Red Cross has been denied access to prisons and other facilities.

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