What we know about the torture, abuse of Palestinian prisoners by Israel

9 hours ago 3

Most of the bodies of the much than 100 dormant Palestinians Israel released stay unidentified.

They were sent backmost to Gaza with numbers alternatively of their names, leaving household members of missing Palestinians to pore desperately done pictures of the bodies, hoping to spot their loved ones.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 itemsend of list

One happening is wide from the marks near connected these bodies, and the blindfolds and handcuffs inactive connected immoderate of them: They had been tortured earlier their deaths, perchance executed.

The torture was confirmed by Palestinian detainees released live by Israel arsenic portion of the Gaza ceasefire deal that has besides seen the merchandise of Israeli captives from Gaza.

Reports that Israel tortures Palestinian detainees successful its jails person been communal for years, and person accrued since the commencement of Israel’s warfare connected Gaza, with immoderate Israeli politicians adjacent defending the practice.

At slightest 75 Palestinian detainees person besides died successful Israeli jails since October 7, 2023, according to the United Nations.

One peculiarly notable documented incidental of maltreatment was the pack rape of a Palestinian captive by guards astatine the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility successful Israel past year. Verified video shows Israeli situation guards utilizing their shields to fell from the camera earlier proceeding to rape the victim, who was near incapable to walk, Israeli media reported.

Abuse disposable connected dormant bodies

The information of the bodies Israel returned to Gaza is harrowing.

The forensic teams who examined them said the bodies showed signs of carnal abuse, aesculapian sources told Al Jazeera.

Some of the bodies had missing limbs oregon teeth, portion immoderate appeared to person been burned, the Palestinian Health Ministry successful Gaza said connected Wednesday.

“Crimes that cannot beryllium hidden … This is however the bodies of Gaza’s prisoners were returned – blindfolded, bound similar animals, and bearing signs of terrible torture and burning,” Dr Munir al-Bursh, director-general of the Health Ministry, wrote connected societal media.

“They did not dice people – they were executed portion restrained, a warfare transgression demanding an urgent planetary probe and accountability for the perpetrators.”

Images of the bodies backmost up overmuch of what al-Bursh said, with experts saying that they showed signs of abuse.

Sameh Hamad, portion of a committee that received the bodies astatine Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, said that 1 of the bodies adjacent had a enactment astir his neck.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Raed Mohammad Amer, of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, said his organisation recovered that Israel had executed dozens of Palestinians. Israel has promised investigations successful immoderate cases, but galore stay open.

Naji Abbas, manager of the prisoners and detainees section for Physicians for Human Rights Israel, said his organisation was “not surprised” astatine the information of the bodies released.

“We person recorded hundreds of instances of torture and deaths successful the Israeli situation system, dozens of Palestinians who person been killed, beaten to death, oregon person died aft being refused attraction for months,” Abbas said.

One autopsy the organisation examined showed signs of unit connected the assemblage 8 months aft the idiosyncratic died, helium added.

“These are documented cases of detainees’ bodies with wide signs of torture and of having been brutally restrained earlier death, and inactive it is not connected each tv and successful each newspaper,” Abbas said.

Al Jazeera reached retired to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which coordinates the transportation of Palestinian and Israeli detainees, for comment.

The ICRC did not remark connected the information of the bodies, but said the absorption of its unit was “the dignified transportation of remains of the deceased”.

The Israeli subject and situation work did not respond to a petition for comment.

Detainees accidental they were tortured, abused

Nearly 2,000 Palestinians from some Gaza and the occupied West Bank were released by Israel this week arsenic portion of the ceasefire deal.

Many of them had been taken by Israel successful ample roundups, leaving down families who weren’t definite if their loved 1 had been killed oregon was disappeared by Israel.

Without quality of their missing loved ones since their disappearance, the household members were shocked by their appearances and the stories they told.

Some radical were truthful injured and weak, they were taken consecutive from the transport to a infirmary for aesculapian treatment.

One released detainee, Mahmoud Abu Foul, said Israeli torture had led to him losing his eyesight. Abu Foul told Al Jazeera helium mislaid his eyesight aft 1 beating near him unconscious for hours.

Many detainees emerged emaciated oregon with disposable bruises.

One freed detainee, Kamal Abu Shanab, said his value had dropped from 127 to 68 kilogrammes. His niece, Farah, cried arsenic she saw him, saying helium was unrecognisable.

Another freed detainee, Salem Eid, said helium can’t prevarication connected his backmost owed to the beatings and has to slumber sitting up.

There person been reports of maltreatment successful Israeli prisons for years.

Israeli rights radical B’Tselem said successful a study past August the Israeli situation strategy was a “network of torture camps” with “frequent acts of severe, arbitrary violence; intersexual assault; humiliation and degradation; deliberate starvation; forced unhygienic conditions; slumber deprivation; prohibition on, and punitive measures for, spiritual worship; confiscation of each communal and idiosyncratic belongings; and denial of capable aesculapian treatment”.

Then determination is the intelligence torture. One antheral released this week said helium was told by Israeli soldiers that his household was dead, lone to find them alive, and different who had prepared a bracelet for his two-year-old daughter, lone to observe that she, on with his woman and different children, had been killed by Israel.

Targeting Barghouti

There are inactive astir 9,000 Palestinian detainees inactive successful Israeli jails – 1 of the astir salient is Palestinian person Marwan Barghouti, who Israel refuses to release.

Barghouti was recovered blameworthy by Israel successful 2004 of being liable for attacks against Israelis and is serving respective beingness sentences.

He refuses to judge the jurisdiction of the Israeli tribunal strategy and endorses nonviolent resistance, arsenic good arsenic a two-state solution.

Polls regularly find Barghouti to beryllium the astir fashionable Palestinian leader, and helium has often been compared to the anti-apartheid person and erstwhile South African President Nelson Mandela.

Barghouti’s son, Arab, told Al Jazeera this week that Israel has singled his begetter retired for exceptionally harsh treatment, including a beating by guards successful mid-September that near him unconscious.

One released prisoner, Mohammad al-Ardah, said that Israeli forces had breached Barghouti’s ribs successful 3 places.

Israel has denied the mistreatment of Barghouti and different Palestinian prisoners, but has not substantiated that defence with evidence.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appeared successful an August video shouting astatine and threatening Barghouti. He is the antheral successful complaint of Israel’s situation service.

Arab Barghouti said Ben-Gvir showed his begetter an electrical seat and told him it was his fate.

Ben-Gvir has taken pridefulness successful the attraction of Palestinian prisoners nether his watch, and defended soldiers alleged to person abused the detainees, saying that “summer camps and patience for the terrorists are over”.

Read Entire Article