GENEVA (Reuters) – Thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly removed from Gaza, sometimes from bomb shelters, and dragged into detention in Israel where some have been tortured and dozens have died, according to a UN human rights office report on Tuesday.
Many of those seized in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7 were taken at checkpoints as they fled Israel's military offensive or from the schools and hospitals where they were sheltering, said the 23-page report based primarily on interviews with released detainees and other victims and witnesses.
Often, they were blindfolded and shackled before being transported to Israel and placed in "cage-like" military centres and forced to wear nothing but diapers for prolonged periods, it said. The UN report said 53 detainees died in custody.
"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," said United Nations High Commissioner Volker Turk in a statement accompanying the report.
He called for their immediate release as well as the release of the remaining hostages from among the 253 kidnapped in Israel in the Oct. 7 attacks in which 1,200 people were killed.
The Israeli military has said it is investigating allegations of mistreatment of detainees at facilities in Israel but has declined to comment on specific cases. It plans a phase out of the Sde Teiman camp in the Negev desert which was cited both in the UN report and by Palestinians rights group as a location of detainee abuse.
Reports of mistreatment of detainees in Israeli prisons have been growing in recent months.
Generally they were held in secret, without being given a reason for their detention or access to a lawyer, the report said.
FORCED TO STRIP
The issue of detainees has added to international pressure on Israel over its conduct of the Gaza war, now approaching the start of its 11th month. In May, the US State Department said it was looking into allegations of Israeli abuse of Palestinian detainees.
It is also sparking domestic tensions in Israel where this week right-wing protesters broke into military compounds where Israeli soldiers were due to be questioned as part of an investigation into alleged abuse of a Palestinian detainee.
The UN report also referred to dire conditions endured by Israeli hostages in Gaza, including lack of fresh air, sunlight and beatings, citing testimonies from those freed.
The Palestinian detainees held in Israel are mostly men and boys and included a range of people such as residents, doctors and nurses and their patients, as well as captured Palestinian fighters, the report said.
Some were subject to sexual violence, it said, without giving the number of incidents.
The report, which was shared with Israel's government and Palestinian authorities, did not say how many detainees have since been released. A UN spokesperson said it was impossible to determine.