Two Palestinians have died from torture while in Israeli detention, including one held at the Sde Teiman facility, according to Palestinian prisoner groups.
Islam al-Sarsawi, 42, from the Al-Shejaiya neighborhood in Gaza City was a police officer who was detained along with dozens of other Palestinians, during the most recent Israeli military raid on the Al-Shifa Hospital, the Palestinian Prisoners Society and the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Commission said in a statement on Friday. “And was subjected to torture inside the Sde Teiman camp.”
The organizations said he “was martyred four months ago” and “obtained confirmed information about his fate yesterday.”
“Al-Sarsawi is among dozens of detainees who have lost their lives in Israeli prisons and detention camps. The Israeli authorities continue to conceal their identities,” they added.
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The Israeli military previously stormed the Al-Shifa Medical Complex twice — on November 16, following a week-long siege, and in March. The earlier operation left the vital medical facility in ruins, resembling a mass grave, reported the Anadolu news agency.
The Sde Teiman detention facility has come under scrutiny by Israeli authorities amid allegations of torture, sexual abuse and rape committed by soldiers against detainees.
Earlier this week, the Israeli military police arrested ten soldiers from the Sde Teiman prison to investigate charges of torture and sexual assault of Palestinian prisoners.
Petition for Information
On Thursday, Gaza’s Ministry of Prisoners and Freed Prisoners announced the death of a detainee from Jabaliya in Israeli detention “after being subjected to interrogation and severe torture.”
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The father of Omar Abdul Aziz Junaid, 26, informed the ministry that he received a call from the Israeli human rights group HaMoked informing him that his son had died on June 17 whilst “under investigation and (subjected to) torture.”
Omar had been detained along with his brother Yasser from their home in Jabaliya on December 24 last year.
Since then, his fate and whereabouts have been unknown, even after his brother was released in April.
“We went to many human rights institutions at home and abroad to find out his fate, but we did not get an answer because the occupation authorities refused to provide any information,” his father said.
He added “Last May, we contacted the‘HaMoked Individual Defense Center in Al-Quds, which submitted a petition to the occupation court to find out his fate.”
The family demanded an official investigation into the circumstances of Omar’s death, whom they said had not been suffering any illnesses.
They have requested Israeli authorities hand over his body for burial.
Palestinian prisoner organizations say more than 9,000 Palestinians are languishing in Israeli jails.
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Documented Testimonies
In the past months, Israel has released dozens of detainees, who have confirmed in their testimonies that they were subjected to abuse, torture and harsh interrogation.
An investigation by The New York Times in June confirmed that Israel was carrying out a policy of systematic torture at the Sde Teiman detention camp.
Gaza Detainees Injected with Unknown Substance as Torture Escalates – Euro-Med Monitor
Reports of abuse at Sde Teiman had already emerged in both Israeli and Arab media, following outcries from local and international rights groups about the horrific conditions there.
At the same, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor issued a report documenting testimonies from released Gaza detainees who detailed the abuse and torture.
One detainee spoke of being “beaten and subjected to electric shocks” because he “refused to be injected” with an unknown substance.
In May, CNN reported that three Israeli whistleblowers working at the Sde Teiman detention camp revealed systemic abuses by the military, including prisoners being restrained, blindfolded, and forced to wear diapers.
(PC, Anadolu)
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