Image Credit: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has called for urgent international intervention regarding the alleged torture of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody. The organization highlighted that recent testimonies and evidence reveal severe human rights violations comparable to those witnessed at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.
Citing lawyers, Al Mezan reported that Palestinian prisoners are subjected to brutal physical and psychological abuse within Israeli detention facilities. The reported acts of torture include detainees being hung in stress positions, beaten with hammers, and having their nails extracted with wire-cutting pliers. Furthermore, prisoners have reportedly been attacked by dogs, exposed naked to the scorching sun while standing on sharp gravel, and threatened with rape, death, and harm to their families. Verbal abuse and deprivation of basic needs, such as food, water, and sleep, are said to be commonplace.
These harsh conditions have reportedly resulted in several deaths, although the exact number remains unconfirmed. Al Mezan noted that the Palestinian Prisoners Club has identified 22 Palestinians who have died due to torture or medical negligence since October 7. Additionally, Israeli rights group B’Tselem reported that at least 60 Palestinians, including 48 from the Gaza Strip, have died in Israeli custody since the war began.
Al Mezan has urged the international community to take prompt and decisive action to protect Palestinian detainees and called for the immediate closure of what it describes as Israeli “torture camps” where detainees have forcibly disappeared. The organization emphasizes the need for accountability and stresses that without international intervention, the situation for Palestinian detainees will continue to deteriorate.
Credit: Al Jazeera