Palestinians detained by Israel subjected to torture: UN report

GENEVA: Palestinians detained by Israel during the Gaza war have largely been held in secret and in some cases subjected to treatment that may amount to torture, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Since October 7, thousands of Palestinians — including medics, patients, residents and captured fighters — have been taken from Gaza to Israel, “usually shackled and blindfolded”, while thousands more have been detained in the West Bank and Israel, the OHCHR UN human rights office said in a report.

“They have generally been held in secret, without being given a reason for their detention, access to a lawyer or effective judicial review,” OHCHR said.

At least 53 detainees from Gaza and the West Bank have died in Israeli detention since the Gaza war began on October 7, the report found.

“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 UN human rights chief Volker Turk.

He called on all parties to the conflict to implement a ceasefire, ensure full respect for international law and ensure accountability for violations and abuses.

The report, “Detention in the context of the escalation of hostilities in Gaza”, covers the period from October 7 to June 30.

It said that there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that since October 7, Israel and Palestinian armed groups had “committed gross violations and abuses… of the rights to life, liberty and freedom from torture and other ill-treatment as well as rape and other forms of sexual violence, all of which may also amount to war crimes”.

The October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that started the war resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,400 people, according to the health ministry in the Palestinian territory, mostly civilians.