The United Nations denounced on Wednesday reports of “unacceptable” abuse and even torture of Palestinian detainees, particularly since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza, and demanded an investigation.
The UN has long expressed concerns about the conditions for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons but warned that the situation has deteriorated significantly since the war began.
UN rights chief Volker Turk, responding to a recent incident where Israeli military troops tied a wounded Palestinian to a military vehicle during a raid in Jenin, said, “It was sickening to see such totally unacceptable treatment.”
“There must be a transparent and independent investigation to know what happened and to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” Turk stated at a news conference in Geneva.
Turk’s spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani, emphasized the need for accountability in this case, warning that without it, “brazen violations like this will continue with impunity.”
“At some point, you run out of words of condemnation to use for such incidents,” she told AFP.
Acknowledging Israel’s assertion that the incident did not comply with its own code of conduct, Shamdasani argued that “the denigration and dehumanization of an entire community… almost enables and facilitates the conduct by Israeli troops.”
Beyond this specific case, Shamdasani reported that the UN rights office has received “very worrying, very distressing reports” of the treatment of Palestinian detainees by Israeli forces since October 7.
These reports included instances of “people being held incommunicado… torture, mistreatment, handcuffing, deprivation of food, water, medication,” along with allegations of sexual abuse.
“It’s unacceptable, and it needs to stop,” she declared.
The UN rights office has raised these issues directly with Israeli authorities, demanding “a transparent investigation into these allegations,” but has yet to receive a formal response.
When Israeli authorities released Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital, along with dozens of other detainees on Monday, he reported suffering “severe torture” during his detention.
Shamdasani reiterated that under international law, “there is an absolute prohibition on the use of torture, no matter the circumstances,” including in war.
Since the war began, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has resulted in at least 37,953 deaths, mostly civilians, and a further 87,266 wounded, according to data from the health ministry in the territory.
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