GENEVA – GENEVA (AP) — The UN human rights office released a report Wednesday saying that Palestinian detainees taken in by Israeli authorities since the Oct. 7 attacks have faced waterboarding, sleep deprivation, electric shocks, the release of dogs and other forms of torture and ill-treatment.
The detention report says Israel’s prison service held more than 9,400 “security detainees” as of the end of June, and some were held in secret, without access to lawyers or respect for their legal rights.
A summary of the report, based on interviews with former detainees and other sources, denounces a “staggering” number of detainees – including men, women, children, journalists and human rights defenders – and says such practices raise concerns about arbitrary detention .
“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”, said UN Human Rights. Chief Volker Türk in a statement.
The conclusions of the report, one of the most extensive of its kind, could be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court investigating crimes committed in connection with the October 7 attacks and its consequences, including Israel’s ongoing violent military campaign in Gaza.
The report’s authors said its contents were shared with the Israeli government. The Associated Press has contacted the Israeli diplomatic mission for comment.
The report states that the detainees were taken in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank, and states that Israel has not provided information on the fate or whereabouts of many, adding that the International Committee of the Red Cross has been denied access to the facilities where they are detained.
“Detainees said they were kept in cage-like facilities, undressed for prolonged periods, wearing only diapers. Their testimonies spoke of prolonged blindfolds, deprivation of food, sleep and water, and being subjected to electric shocks and burned with cigarettes,” a summary of the report said.
“Some detainees said dogs were released and others said they were waterboarded or had their hands tied and suspended from the ceiling,” he added. “Some women and men also spoke about sexual and gender-based violence.”
The report also states that the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, also “continued to carry out arbitrary detentions and torture or other ill-treatment in the West Bank, allegedly primarily to suppress criticism and political opposition.”
On Tuesday, an Israeli military court began an initial hearing for nine soldiers detained over what a defense lawyer said were allegations of sexual abuse of a Palestinian at Sde Teiman — a shadowy facility where Israel held Gaza prisoners during the war. The detention of soldiers triggered furious protests from supporters demanding his release.
On Wednesday, the military court extended the detention of eight Israeli suspects until Sunday.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas ‘surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people that day and taking another 250 hostage. Israel’s retaliatory operation destroyed entire neighborhoods in Gaza and forced around 80% of the population to flee their homes. The Gaza Health Ministry claims that more than 39,000 Palestinians were killed, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants in its count.
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Associated Press writer Jack Jeffery contributed to this report from Ramallah, West Bank.
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