A report from the UN human rights office, published on Tuesday, alleges that Israeli forces have forcefully evacuated thousands of Palestinians from Gaza, even from bomb shelters, and coerced them into detention facilities in Israel. The publication shared that some detained individuals have been subjected to torture resulting in multiple deaths.
The report, consisting of 23 pages, was built on the testimonies offered by freed detainees and other victims and witnesses. It alleges that numerous people were taken captive at checkpoints as they tried to escape the Israeli military’s advancement. Many were also seized from the schools and hospitals that were providing them shelter ever since the conflict broke out on October 7th.
The UN report proclaims that detainees were often shackled and blindfolded before being escorted to Israel and positioned in ‘cage-like’ military establishments. They were forced to only wear diapers for extended durations, and 53 of them reportedly died during their custody.
Volker Turk, the high commissioner of the United Nations, alongside his statement that came with the report, outlined horrid instances such as waterboarding and the release of dogs on the detainees. These acts starkly violate international human rights and humanitarian laws, he stated. He demanded the immediate release of the detainees and the remaining hostages who were among the 253 people abducted in Israel during the attacks that took place on October 7th, where 1,200 individuals lost their lives.
Although the Israeli military has come forward stating that they are investigating the accusations of detainee abuse in Israeli facilities, they have refrained from discussing specific cases. Plans to shut down the Sde Teiman camp in the Negev desert, a facility cited for detainee abuse in the UN report and by Palestinian rights’ groups, are underway.
There have been increasing reports concerning the ill-treatment of detainees in Israeli prisons in recent months. Typically, detainees were kept in secrecy, denied any reason for their detention, and were not allowed any access to legal assistance, the report mentioned.
Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war, which is soon approaching its 11th month, is under immense international scrutiny, and the issue concerning detainees has increased this pressure. In May, the US State Department announced that they were investigating allegations concerning the abuse of Palestinian detainees by Israeli forces.
There have also been growing domestic disputes within Israel, with right-wing activists breaking into military compounds this week where Israeli soldiers were expected to be interrogated as part of an inquiry into the alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee.
In a document released by the United Nations, harsh circumstances faced by Israeli captives in Gaza were prominently highlighted, touching on testimonies of being deprived of sunlight, instances of physical aggression, and lack of clean air, as heralded by those who were set free. The majority of Palestinians detained within Israel’s borders were identified as males, spanning various ages and occupations – from local inhabitants, healthcare professionals and their patients to captured Palestinian militants. The report also referred to unnamed instances of sexual abuse. The UN’s brief did not provide any data regarding how many among the detainees have been let go thus far, and an UN representative reported the difficulty in acquiring such a figure. The report, intended for both the Israeli administration and Palestinian authorities, did not substantiate this claim with numerical evidence. This information was released under the authority of Thomson Reuters in 2024.