UN report alleges torture and arbitrary detention of Palestinians by Israeli forces

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) released a report detailing extensive and systematic human rights abuses by Israeli military forces against Palestinians.

The report highlights the arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and torture of thousands, including men, women, children, and medical personnel, since the escalation of conflict on October 7.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described the situation as alarming, stating, "The staggering number of men, women, children, doctors, journalists and human rights defenders detained since October 7, most of them without charge or trial and held in deplorable conditions, along with reports of ill-treatment and torture and violation of due process guarantees, raises serious concerns regarding the arbitrariness and the fundamentally punitive nature of such arrests and detention."

The report exposes severe abuses, including claims of waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees. "The testimonies gathered by my Office and other entities indicate a range of appalling acts, such as waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees, amongst other acts, in flagrant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law," Türk noted.

The document details the plight of Palestinian detainees, including medical staff and residents fleeing conflict zones, as well as captured fighters from Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel. The OHCHR report revealed that at least 53 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli military facilities and prisons since October 7.

Family members of detainees reported being left in the dark about their relatives' fates. "They do not know if those detained are alive or dead," the report's authors stated, recounting the experiences of families whose relatives were taken "usually shackled and blindfolded" by the Israeli army.

The report also highlighted the arbitrary nature of arrests, noting that many detainees were taken from shelters in schools, hospitals, and residential buildings or from checkpoints during mass displacements within Gaza.

Among the allegations is the claim that detainees were subjected to prolonged blindfolding, food and sleep deprivation, and even torture methods like electric shocks and burns.

"Detainees said they were held in cage-like facilities, stripped naked for prolonged periods, wearing only diapers. Their testimonies told of prolonged blindfolding, deprivation of food, sleep and water, and being subjected to electric shocks and being burnt with cigarettes…Some women and men also spoke of sexual and gender-based violence," the report detailed.

The OHCHR report follows a recent investigation into Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, which had also raised significant concerns about civilian casualties.

The report, based on interviews with released detainees, witnesses, and other sources, underscores the need for adherence to international humanitarian law and the immediate release of all detainees.

Volker Türk reiterated the international community's call for humane treatment of all detainees and the immediate release of those held arbitrarily. "International humanitarian law protects all those being held, requiring their humane treatment and protection against all acts of violence or threats thereof," he said.