UN: Israeli Forces Arrest Thousand of Palestinian in Gaza
Gaza, MINA – The United Nations said on Friday that Israeli occupation forces have arrested thousands of men in the Gaza Strip, in conditions that may amount to torture, Quds Press reports.
The representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Ajith Songhai, said, “Some of the detainees confirmed that the occupation forces blindfolded and beat them, and when they released them, they were naked and wearing only diapers.”
Songhai added, “The men were detained in generally horrific conditions, and in unknown locations, for periods ranging from 30 to 55 days.”
The UN official quoted some of the detainees as saying, “They were subjected to beatings, humiliation, and ill-treatment, and what may amount to torture. They were blindfolded for long periods, some for several days in a row.”
He added, “A man said that he was only able to shower once during his 55-day detention period. There are reports that men were later released, but only while wearing diapers.”
“Their testimonies are consistent with reports received by the UN Human Rights Office about the widespread detention of Palestinians, including many civilians held in secret, who are often subjected to ill-treatment, and who cannot reach their families, lawyers, or obtain legal assistance,” Songhai said. “Any effective judicial protection.”
He explained that he cannot give an accurate figure for the number of detainees, but he expressed his belief that the number is in the thousands.
He pointed out that the detainees were later classified and some of them were interrogated, and they were not informed of their imminent release, but they were blindfolded and left at the Kerem Shalom crossing without the clothes, belongings, and money that they had when they were arrested.
Since the 7 October, the occupation army has continued its aggression against the Gaza Strip, with American and European support, as its planes bomb the vicinity of hospitals, buildings, towers, and homes of Palestinian civilians, destroying them above the heads of their residents, and preventing the entry of water, food, medicine, and fuel.
The ongoing aggression against Gaza led to the death of 24,762 martyrs and the injury of 62,108 people, in addition to the displacement of more than 85 percent (about 1.9 million people) of the Strip’s population, according to the Strip’s authorities and international and UN bodies. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency!MINA)
