“They described being beaten, humiliated, subjected to ill-treatment, and to what may amount to torture,” a UN Human Rights official said.
A UN Human Rights official has warned Israel to take urgent steps to prevent the recurrence of “ill-treatment or torture” of Palestinian detainees in Gaza, saying he met several detainees who had been held for weeks, beaten and blindfolded, and released – only in diapers.
Ajith Sunghay, the head of the UN Human Rights Office in Occupied Palestine, told reporters on Friday that the men had been detained by Israeli forces between 30 to 55 days.
“They described being beaten, humiliated, subjected to ill-treatment, and to what may amount to torture,” Sunghay said.
They reported being blindfolded for long periods – some of them for several consecutive days.
One of the men told the UN official that he had access to a shower only once during his 55 days in detention.
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“There are reports of men who were subsequently released – but only in diapers, without any adequate clothing in this cold weather,” Sunghay said.
He said what was shared with him “was consistent with reports our Office has been gathering of the detention of Palestinians on a broad scale, including many civilians, held in secrecy, often subject to ill-treatment, with no access to their families, lawyers or effective judicial protection.”
The families of detainees – believed to number in the thousands – have not been provided with information on the fate or location of their loved ones, the UN official added.
‘Charge or Release’ Detainees
Sunghay said Israel “must take urgent steps to ensure that all those arrested or detained are treated in line with international human rights and international humanitarian law norms and standards, notably with full respect for their due process rights.”
He added that “Unless Israel can demonstrate imperative security grounds for each person remaining in detention, they must be charged or released.”
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The official further said that Israeli authorities must ensure that families have access to information about their loved ones and that all instances of ill-treatment or torture of people arrested or detained must be fully and transparently investigated.
“And, if found to have taken place, action must be taken to ensure accountability and to prevent recurrence. Victims and their families have the right to truth, justice, and reparations,” he stressed.
‘Pressure Cooker Environment’
Sunghay said the situation in Rafah has “a pressure cooker environment” in the midst of “utter chaos, given the terrible humanitarian situation, shortages, and pervasive fear and anger.”
The communications blackout for the six consecutive day, he said, is adding to the confusion and fear, and prevents Gazans from accessing services and information on areas to evacuate.
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People continue to arrive in Rafah from various places in their thousands, in desperate situations, setting up makeshift shelters with any material they can get their hands on, he explained.
“I’ve seen men and children digging for bricks to be able to hold in place tents made with plastic bags.”
Sunghay concluded with “a resounding plea from Gaza, above all, for an immediate ceasefire, for human rights and humanitarian reasons, and for all hostages to be released. These horrors must not become normalized.”
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 24,762 Palestinians have been killed, and 62,108 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
