Amnesty: Torture, Sexual Abuse of Palestinian Detainees ‘War Crimes’

“Israel’s” brutal treatment of Palestinian Palestinians at Sde Teiman Israeli Prison, which includes torture and sexual abuse, constitutes “war crimes”, an Amnesty International official asserted.

Sara Hashash, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, told Anadolu Agency that “in its recent research, Amnesty International documented the harrowing torture and other ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees at Sde Teiman military camp and other detention facilities.”

A scandal at the Sde Teiman concentration camp led to infighting among Israeli occupation forces’ units and far-right settlers, following reports of “serious abuse” of Palestinian detainees. According to Israeli media reports, Israeli troops deployed in the camp to guard Palestinian detainees have been torturing them and sexually abusing them for their own amusement. 

Last week, dozens of settlers from far-right settler groups, some masked and armed, joined by other political activists, breached an Israeli military base, the site where Israeli occupation soldiers, detained for severe moral violations and the extreme torture of a Palestinian detainee, were being questioned.

Torture and other forms of ill-treatment, including sexual abuse, are considered “war crimes” during an “armed battle”, according to Sara Hashash.

She also stated that when interviewed, 27 former detainees, including 6 women and one child, described being subjected to “torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,” adding that those held at Sde Teiman were “blindfolded and handcuffed for the entire time.”

The detainees were also held in straining positions for long hours and forbidden from communicating or raising their heads, and their stories corroborate other human rights groups’ conclusions and countless reports from freed prisoners. 

Regarding the purported gang-rape of a Palestinian detainee at the institution, she stated that the event gave more proof of the horrible torture and other ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees that Amnesty International had already uncovered in its recent study.

She called for an impartial investigation by the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Prosecutor’s office to ensure those guilty of abuses are brought to justice, urging the occupation to grant access for independent monitors to prisons.

Hashash blasted “Israel” for “a terrible record of failing to credibly investigate torture allegations by Palestinians.”

Inside Ofer’s eerie alleys of torture, abuse, and ‘fascism’

On Sunday, the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainee Affairs revealed troubling statements from Gaza captives detained in “Israel’s” Ofer Prison. The reports, gathered from inmates Mohammed Jamous, 44, Fadi Ayad, 39, and Fadi Howaydi, 38, depict terrible assault and brutality from the onset of their captivity.

The Commission’s lawyer visited them, and the inmates described the harsh conditions they endured, citing they experienced “real fascism”. 

“We were stripped of our clothes, beaten, tortured, and bound, with our eyes blindfolded,” one of the detainees stated.

The detainees described the Israeli troops as “rabid beasts” who reveled in their misery, emphasizing their hunger, thirst, and the constant pain they were subjected to. They even expressed surprise at their ability to survive under such conditions.

They recalled how they were subjected to taunting, humiliation, and extreme torture. Their treatment was “so appalling” that they wished the ground would swallow them up instead of having to go through such inhumane treatment. 

Shattered bones, open wounds, and brutal beatings are only some of the abuses they described, not to mention a whole other level of abuse in hospitals.

“Our minds cannot comprehend the extent of what is happening to us,” said one of them.

“Today, we are all sick,” the captives reported. “Our bodies are exhausted, and we have become prey to illness and injury. No medical treatment or medication is provided. Despite these dire conditions, we cling to the hope of returning to our families alive.”

The detainees also recounted being constantly confined in excruciating postures and subjected to attack dogs, poisonous gas, and pepper spray while in confinement. Many Gaza detainees lost consciousness numerous times as a result of the severe beating, with some dying under torture, including martyr Islam al-Sarsawi.