Testimony from 55 former Palestinian detainees reveals that more than a dozen Israeli prison camps created after October 7 are dedicated to the abuse of people in custody, says a report by Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem collected testimonies from 55 Palestinians, including 21 from the Gaza Strip, who were detained in Israeli prisons, detailing the torture they were subjected to.
The B’Tselem report, titled Welcome to Hell, revealed on Tuesday that more than a dozen Israeli prison facilities have been converted into a network of camps “dedicated to prisoner abuse” since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza.
“These spaces, in which each prisoner is intentionally condemned to severe and unrelenting pain and suffering, actually function as torture camps,” he said.
Violations include “frequent acts of serious and arbitrary violence; sexual assault; humiliation and degradation; deliberate starvation; forced unhygienic conditions; sleep deprivation; prohibition and punitive measures for religious worship; confiscation of all community and personal belongings; and denial of adequate medical treatment.”
B’Tselem said at least 60 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since October 7, including around 48 people from Gaza.
The report states that detainees’ testimonies demonstrate “an institutional and systemic policy focused on the continued abuse and torture of all Palestinian prisoners.”
This policy, he states, is implemented under the direction of the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, with the full support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Given the gravity of the acts, the extent to which the provisions of international law are being violated, and the fact that these violations are directed at the entire Palestinian prisoner population, daily and over time – the only possible conclusion is that, By carrying out these acts, Israel is committing torture that amounts to a war crime and even a crime against humanity,” the report stated in its conclusion.
Call for ICC investigation
It called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate “individuals suspected of planning, directing and committing these crimes”, stating that the investigation was not possible within Israel “as all state systems, including the judiciary, have been mobilized in support to these crimes.” torture camps.”
B’Tselem also noted that the number of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons has doubled to 9,623 since the start of the war in Gaza.
“We call on all nations and all international institutions and bodies to do everything in their power to put an immediate end to the cruelties inflicted on Palestinians by Israel’s prison system and to recognize the Israeli regime that operates this system as a apartheid regime that must come to an end”, concluded the group.
There was no immediate reaction to the report from Israeli authorities.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
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