The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East published a document with accounts from 5 victims of physical and sexual assaults
UNRWA, the United Nations arm for assistance to Palestinian refugees, released last Tuesday (April 16, 2024) a report which reveals ill-treatment committed by the Israeli army against war hostages. Although Israel claims that it only arrests members of Hamas, the organization detailed that children and the elderly were captured in the latest offensives.
The report, titled “Detention and alleged mistreatment of Gaza detainees during the Israel-Hamas war”was prepared based on testimonies from anonymous victims.
During capture, the detainees were housed in Israeli system prisons. They reported that after the confiscation of their belongings, they were subjected to interrogations, being deprived of water, food and using the bathroom. The report describes that some hostages were attacked with iron bars and dog bites.
In addition to physical torture, according to the report, the conditions of stay were precarious. The hostages slept for 5 hours, under fans that reduced the temperature of the room in the middle of winter.
“I saw people [presas] 70 years old, very old. There were people with Alzheimer's, elderly blind people, people with disabilities who couldn't walk, people who had shrapnel in their backs and couldn't stand up, people with epilepsy… and the torture was for everyone. Even for people who didn't know their own names. We told them someone was blind. They didn’t care”says a 46-year-old man.
In April, more than 1,500 Palestinian hostages were released by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). According to UNRWA, among the released hostages are:
- 43 children (39 boys, 4 girls);
- 84 women;
- 16 family members of UNRWA employees.
Psychological, physical and sexual aggression
The text also reveals practices of sexual aggression against adults and children. The detainees said they were forced to undress in front of soldiers, who photographed them naked.
A 34-year-old Palestinian woman reported: “They asked the soldiers to spit on me, saying 'she's a bitch, she's from Gaza.' […] A male soldier took off our hijabs and they pinched us and touched our bodies, including our breasts. We were blindfolded and felt them touching us, pushing our heads towards the bus.”
According to the report, the attacks coordinated by the IDF left a large number of hostages sick or injured. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society was called in to transport the sick to local hospitals.
Before the official release of the report, the Israeli military denied the accusations and stated that torture “violates IDF values”. UNRWA held protests against the Israeli authorities, which were not responded to by any institution in the country.
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