“Israel” Detains 1000s of Gazans during Aggression

By Staff, Agencies

As “Israel” continues its genocidal aggression on Gaza, the United Nations announced that the entity’s forces likely detained thousands of Gazans during the onslaught, subjecting them to torture and humiliation.

Ajith Sunghay, the UN’s human rights representative in the Palestinian territories, made the remarks to a press briefing in Geneva on Friday, speaking via video-link from the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

“They described being beaten, humiliated, subjected to ill-treatment, and to what may amount to torture. They reported being blindfolded for long periods -- some of them for several consecutive days,” he said.

Sunghay provided the information after talking to several released detainees, who said they had been held by Israeli forces at unknown locations for a period of 30 to 55 days.

“One man said he had access to a shower only once during his 55 days in detention. There are reports of men who were subsequently released, but only in diapers,” he added, noting that “The people thus detained spent their detention without access to either their families, lawyers or effective judicial protection.”

The men Sunghay spoke to typically reported being taken to a place of detention in Gaza, blindfolded for hours and then taken, mostly unclothed, to another detention center likely within the occupied Palestinian territories.

“The detention conditions are horrific, overall,” he said, noting that “After arriving at detention centers, the detainees would be profiled, categorized, and some interrogated.”

The official concluded that “They were not told of their impending release, but were blindfolded and dropped at the Kerem Shalom crossing point, without the clothes, possessions and cash they had on them when arrested.”