Israel / Terrible torture of Palestinians in detention centers, UN report reveals

Extended abuse of Palestinian prisoners, at Israeli detention centers describes an internal UN report that mentions, among other things, beatings, dog attacks, prolonged use of stress positions and sexual assaults.

The report was prepared by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) and relies heavily on interviews with Palestinian prisoners released at the Kerem Shalom crossing since December, when UNRWA staff were present to provide humanitarian support.

The report, released to the United Nations and seen by the Guardian, says just over 1,000 detainees have been released since December. Howeverestimates that more than 4,000 men, women and children have been concentrated in Gaza since the start of the current conflict, caused by Hamas raids in southern Israel on October 7, which killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians.

The Israel denies the accusationswhich he described as Hamas-inspired propaganda. It named 12 UNRWA officials it claims were involved in the October 7 attack and claims 450 of the agency’s 13,000 workers in Gaza are members of Hamas or other militants.

The claims, which are being studied by two separate UN investigations, have so far not been substantiated. The UNRWA report says its staff have been detained, many while carrying out aid work, they have been abused and pressured to slander the service.

Their Israeli jailers, he claims, “through beatings and other ill-treatment and threats, attempted to extract operational information and coerce confessions.”

The UNRWA report stated that among the 1,002 prisoners released from December to the Kerem Shalom Pass, there were 29 children aged up to six years (26 boys and three girls), 80 women and 21 UNRWA staff. Some had chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s or were cancer patients.

“Prisoners reported being transported by trucks in large makeshifts “military barracks” that housed 100-120 people each, and in which they were held, often for weeks at a time, between periods of interrogation at a nearby location,” the UNRWA document said, in allegations first reported by the New York Times.

The report states, according to the Guardian report, that the worst abuse happens in these detention centers and interrogation before detainees are transferred to the Israeli prison system.

Legislation passed by the Knesset since the start of the Gaza offensive and extended for three months in January allows the security services to hold prisoners for 180 days without providing access to a lawyer.

“Methods of abuse reported included physical beatingsforced stress postures for prolonged periods of time, threats of harm to prisoners and their families, attacks by dogs, insults to personal dignity and humiliation, such as the obligation to act like animals or urinate their clothes, use of loud music and noises, deprivation of water, food, sleep and toilet, denial of the right to practice their religion (to pray) and prolonged use of tightly locked handcuffs causing open wounds and injuries due to friction,” says the UNRWA report.

“The beatings included blunt trauma to the head, shoulders, kidneys, neck, back and legsa with metal rods and gun stocks and boots, in some cases resulting in broken ribs, dislocated shoulders and permanent injuries,” the report added. “While outside the venue, several people reported being forced into cages and attacked by dogs, with some people including a childto bear dog bite wounds upon his release.”

The claims in the report could not be independently verified, but are consistent with accounts given to the Guardian and collected by human rights groups. The report also includes allegations of extended sexual assault, though not for rape. Female prisoners reported being blindfolded and some male prisoners said they were beaten on the genitals.

“Another inmate reported that he was made to Mrelectrocautery, causing burns to his anus, the scars of which could be seen for weeks afterwards,” the UNRWA report said. “He said another prisoner also received the same treatment and died as a result of his infected wounds.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a general announcement, referring to the allegations in the UNRWA report.

“Mistreatment of detainees during their detention or while under interrogation violates IDF values ​​and violates IDF orders and is therefore absolutely prohibited. The IDF denies blanket and baseless allegations on the sexual abuse of prisoners in IDF detention facilities. These claims are another cynical attempt to create a false equivalence with Hamas’s systematic use of rape as a weapon of war,” said a written statement provided to the Guardian.

THE statement denies any use of sleep deprivation and maintains that the music was only played “at a low volume in a specific place where prisoners await interrogation (in a place where guards are also present), in order to prevent prisoners from talking to each other while awaiting interrogation”.

It said “specific allegations” of abuse in custody “they were forwarded to the competent authorities for review,” but did not say whether any complaints have been accepted so far. IDF officials declined to provide further details.

The Israeli Army said thatI was aware of deaths in custody and that each case is investigated. “Investigations are pending and therefore we cannot comment on any findings,” the announcement states.