UN Expert Condemns ‘Torture’ of Palestinian Prisoners in Israel

A United Nations expert on Tuesday raised alarm over the alleged “torture” of Palestinian prisoners and “potentially unlawful deaths” in Israeli prisons since October 2023. The comments come as Israel faces growing scrutiny over detention conditions following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas inside Israel that sparked the Gaza war. “Emergency measures introduced after 7 October 2023 exposed Palestinian detainees to torture, potentially unlawful deaths, incommunicado detention, and degrading conditions,” said Alice Jill Edwards, the UN special rapporteur on torture. Quoted in a UN statement seen by AFP, she argued the “number and cruelty of allegations” point to a “gross disregard by Israel of its duty to treat all detainees humanely”. Edwards said she had gathered information on 52 cases involving various forms of torture or ill-treatment, as well as 33 cases of sexual torture and other forms of sexual abuse. Reported abuses include “severe beatings, stress positions, excessive restraints, electrocution, sleep deprivation, malnutrition and starvation” among many others. She also expressed concern over reports of at least 94 deaths in custody since October 2023 that had not been investigated. Autopsies in several cases revealed multiple rib fractures, skin hemorrhages and injuries to internal organs, including abdominal tears, she said. “Behind every allegation is a human being who was wholly dependent on those exercising power over them,” Edwards said, calling for “full, independent and transparent” investigations and accountability. In a communication to Israeli authorities, she noted that none of the 1,680 complainants filed against Israeli intelligence services had led to indictments. She urged Israel to review and revise its detention laws, policies and practices. More than 9,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli jails, including 2,200 serving sentences.