A United Nations report released Wednesday said Palestinian detainees were subjected to torture and abuse while in Israeli custody.
The United Nations Human Rights Office report investigated Palestinian detentions from October to the end of June and found that detainees are sometimes arrested without a clear reason and often held in prolonged secret detention, sometimes for weeks or months. Many are detained without trial or even charge.
Israeli prison guards frequently break into cells, take personal belongings and deny access to hygiene items, while cells are often overcrowded, food is restricted and detainees are exposed to the cold.
Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, are also subjected to beatings, threats and humiliation, the UN said, and are denied access to legal advice, prayer and family contact.
Some specific abuses include electric shocks, cigarette burns, sleep deprivation, forced consumption of hallucinogenic pills, and kneeling on gravel. There were also some reports of sexual assault, the UN report concluded.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he was concerned that large numbers of Palestinians were subjected to punishment and abuse in Israeli prisons.
“The testimonies collected by my office and other entities indicate a series of terrible acts, such as simulated drowning and the release of detainees’ dogs, among other acts, in flagrant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law”, he said in a statement. declaration.
Israeli officials did not respond to the report, but have generally considered the United Nations to be biased against Israel.
The UN report also called out Hamas for subjecting hostages taken from Israel to similar abuse and horrific conditions, while also calling for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between the Palestinian militant group and the Israeli military.
The UN Human Rights Office said it spoke to released Palestinian detainees, witnesses, Israeli and Palestinian government officials, human rights groups and other UN agencies to prepare the report.
Israel has arrested thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank since the start of the war with Hamas in October, including women and children and more than 300 medical professionals detained during attacks on hospitals in Gaza, according to the UN.
Israel has been accused of abusing its prisoners and has faced specific allegations of crimes committed at the Sde Teiman military base, which doubles as a prison during the war. The Associated Press and Washington Post documented abuses at the facilities.
Earlier this week, the Israeli military detained nine of its own soldiers, accused of abusing a prisoner. The arrests sparked protests from far-right Israelis and calls for his release, including from senior government officials. Some protesters invaded the military base where the soldiers were being held.
The war began on October 7, after Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostages. Some 116 hostages, 44 of whom are believed dead, are still in Gaza, where more than 39,000 Palestinians have died in the conflict.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
