UN receives testimony on torture, abuse of Palestinian inmates by Israeli authorities

(MENAFN) The United Nations has received testimony accusing Israeli authorities of widespread torture and abuse against Palestinian detainees since October 7, 2023, prompting growing demands for an independent international investigation.

The testimony was submitted by the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), a UK-based group with special consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council, as reported by The National.

The evidence, compiled by Khaled Mahajneh, a lawyer linked to the Palestinian Authority’s Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, describes a sharp increase in what the PRC calls systematic torture and mistreatment.

Reported methods of abuse include severe beatings, intentional starvation, prolonged suspension in painful positions, medical neglect leading to deaths, dog attacks, and amputations without anesthesia.

The PRC also documented a case of rape by an Israeli prison guard against a Palestinian detainee inside a detention facility. These allegations have been supported by respected human rights groups like Physicians for Human Rights–Israel and B’Tselem.

Many detainees from Gaza are reportedly held in secret military facilities such as Anatot and Sde Teiman camps, which the PRC says operate without legal oversight. Detainees are denied access to lawyers and visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The PRC accused Israeli authorities of using politically charged terms like “unlawful combatants” and “terrorists” to circumvent international humanitarian protections. The organization called for an immediate independent international inquiry into the alleged torture and sexual violence and urged that these cases be included in investigations by the International Criminal Court.

The PRC appealed to the global community to pressure Israel to uphold international standards for prisoner treatment, warning that silence or mere symbolic condemnation would amount to political complicity in ongoing abuses.

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