Health workers in Gaza report torture and ill-treatment

Israeli forces have randomly detained Palestinian health workers in Gaza since the start of the war against Hamas. That is what Human Rights Watch is advocating today.

The health workers are said to have been sent to detention facilities in Israel. They are said to be tortured and ill-treated there.

– The imprisonment of health workers and several attacks on hospitals in Gaza by the Israeli military have led to a serious deterioration in the health care system, says Human Rights Watch.

Between March and June of this year, the group interviewed eight Palestinian health workers. These were captured by the Israeli army (IDF) from Gaza between November and December. The detention lasted anywhere from seven days to five months.

Six of the health workers were arrested at work following Israeli sieges on hospitals. Some were arrested in connection with the hospital evacuation which, according to health workers, was coordinated by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). The health workers say they were not told why they were in prison or charged with a crime.

– Must stop immediately

Human Rights Watch also spoke to seven people who saw Israeli soldiers arresting health workers who were performing their duties.

– The Israeli government’s mistreatment of Palestinian health workers has continued in secret and must stop immediately, says Balkees Jarrah.

She is the acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

– Torture and ill-treatment of doctors, nurses and paramedics should be thoroughly investigated and punished appropriately, including by the International Criminal Court (ICC), she says. more.

According to Human Rights Watch, they sent a letter to the Israeli military and the Israeli prison service with the preliminary findings on August 13. But they didn’t get any answer.

The group also says that long-term arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of health workers has exacerbated the health crisis in Gaza.

This report comes a few days after the report «Welcome to hell» like Aftenposten wrote about it recently. The latest report is published by B’tselem, an Israeli human rights group.

They have looked at the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention camps after 7 October. They have interviewed 55 recently released prisoners. The stories they tell show a pattern:

hunger Serious violence, physical and mental. Bad medicine. Lack of sleep. Sexual violence.

Sent to a military base

All health workers interviewed reported similar mistreatment in Israeli custody. After being in Gaza, they were sent to detention facilities in Israel. Among other things, to the Sde Teiman military base in the Negev desert and Ashkelon prison.

Others were forcibly transferred to the Anatot military base near East Jerusalem and the Ofer detention facility.

All have said they were stripped, beaten, blindfolded and handcuffed. For the most part, it lasted several weeks straight. They are said to have been pressured into admitting they are members of Hamas by threats of detention, rape and the murder of their families in Gaza.

A surgeon has said he was wearing a hospital gown and Crocs when Israeli forces arrested him during a siege at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit in December.

– We were 50 health workers, including nurses and doctors. The soldiers used the microphone to order men and boys over 15 to evacuate the hospital. When they took us out of the hospital, they asked us to remove our underwear and keep it, said the doctor.

– 310 were arrested

An ambulance worker has claimed he was refused medical treatment for broken ribs caused by a blow.

– I helped people as a paralogist, I never expected something like this.

The Gaza Ministry of Health has said that Israeli forces have arrested at least 310 Palestinian health workers since October 7.

Health Care Workers Watch-Palestine, a non-governmental organization, recorded 259 arrests of health care workers. They have registered 31 cases describing torture and other abuses by Israeli forces. Among other things, lack of food and water, threats of sexual violence and rape and degrading treatment are discussed.

Health Care Workers Watch-Palestine has supported Human Rights Watch in interviewing released health care workers.