UN Report: Palestinians Detained by Israel Face Torture, Mistreatment

SEAToday.com, Geneva - The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) published a report on Wednesday (7/31) saying Palestinians detained by Israeli authorities since the Oct. 7 attacks face torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including sexual abuse of women and men.

Since October, thousands of Palestinians have been taken from Gaza, usually shackled and blindfolded, to be detained in the West Bank and Israel. They have generally been kept captive in secret, without being given a reason for their detention, access to a lawyer or effective judicial review, the report states.

At least 53 Palestinian detainees are known to have died in Israeli military facilities and prisons since October. Testimonies indicate appalling acts such as waterboarding, sleep deprivation, electric shocks, dogs set on them. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called it a “flagrant violation” of human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Findings in the report could be used by International Criminal Court prosecutors who are looking into crimes committed related to the conflicts.