Israeli Forces Accused of Mistreating Palestinian Detainees in Gaza
In a shocking revelation, Israeli forces have been accused of mistreating and subjecting Palestinian detainees in Gaza to inhumane conditions. According to accounts from nearly a dozen detainees and their relatives, as well as reports from organizations representing Palestinian prisoners, detainees have been stripped, beaten, interrogated, and held incommunicado over the past three months.
The situation in Gaza has been dire since the Israeli invasion following the Hamas-led attack on October 7. Thousands of men, women, and children have been detained by Israeli forces. Some were forcibly removed from their homes, while others were taken as they tried to flee their neighborhoods. Disturbing photographs taken by Gaza journalists have shown newly released detainees with deep cuts on their wrists from the tight restraints they were subjected to.
The United Nations human rights office has raised concerns that Israel’s treatment of detainees from Gaza may amount to torture. It is estimated that thousands have been detained and held in horrific conditions before being released, sometimes without clothes. The Israeli military, in response to these allegations, stated that detainees are suspected of involvement in terrorist activity and are treated in accordance with international law. They defended the practice of forcing men and boys to strip, claiming it is done to ensure they are not concealing explosive vests or weapons.
Human rights defenders argue that Israel’s detention and mistreatment of Palestinians in Gaza could violate international laws of war. The Israeli army has arrested hundreds of Palestinians in a barbaric manner since the beginning of the invasion, according to a report by Palestinian rights groups. Israel has concealed the fate of detainees from Gaza, preventing lawyers and the Red Cross from visiting them.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has been working on thousands of cases of Palestinians from Gaza who have vanished, with nearly half believed to be detained by the Israeli military. The organization has been seeking information about the conditions and whereabouts of detainees, but has only received proof of life in a handful of cases.
International law sets a high bar for detaining noncombatants and requires that they be treated humanely. Designating civilians who did not evacuate as accomplices to terrorism is not only a threat of collective punishment but could also constitute ethnic cleansing, according to the U.N. special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories.
Disturbing photos and videos taken by Israeli soldiers and journalists embedded with the military have shown Palestinians with their hands bound behind their backs, blindfolded, and in underwear, kneeling outdoors in winter. Women and girls were also present but remained clothed.
The stories of the detainees paint a harrowing picture of their treatment. Hadeel al-Dahdouh, 22, appeared in a photo published last month, blindfolded and with her headscarf removed, packed in the back of a truck with almost naked men. Her husband, Rushdi al-Thatha, described how they were both beaten by Israeli soldiers and subjected to verbal abuse.
Ayman Lubbad, a human rights worker with the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, was detained for a week. He described being forced to strip and kneel in the cold alongside other detainees. Their hands were tied with rope that dug into their skin, and they were driven for hours into Israel. Only upon arrival at a prison in Be’er Sheva were they given clothes. Lubbad was held in agonizing positions for days and was interrogated about his whereabouts and knowledge of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Majdi al-Darini, a retired civil servant, was held for 40 days with his hands restrained almost the entire time. The restraints cut into his wrists, leaving wounds that became infected. He described being treated like an animal, beaten with sticks, and subjected to curses.
These accounts shed light on the mistreatment and abuse suffered by Palestinian detainees in Gaza. The allegations of torture and inhumane treatment raise serious concerns about Israel’s adherence to international laws of war. The international community must take action to ensure the protection of detainees and hold those responsible for these violations accountable.
