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RamallahThe accounts of prisoners released after October 7, 2023, and the accounts of others who lived through the beginnings of the Palestinian revolution decades ago, agree that the Israeli occupation prisons witness the most horrific types of torture against prisoners, in an “unimaginable” manner.
Torture to death was the fate of prisoners. Gazaand to a lesser extent prisoners West BankThe identities of 21 of the martyrs were revealed until Monday, according to data from the Palestinian Prisoners Club, which confirmed that “the occupation concealed the identities of dozens of Gaza detainees who died in its prisons and camps.”
Testimonies of prisoners from Gaza detained in the Israeli Ofer prison were collected by the lawyer of the Prisoners and Freed Prisoners Affairs Authority at the end of last week after he visited a number of detainees there, who were subjected to abuse and torture at the hands of the occupation soldiers and Israeli prison guards, beyond description of all forms of pain and suffering.
Lawyer transfer certificate… pic.twitter.com/ZLZo0NJU4q— AJ+ Arabic (@ajplusarabi) August 5, 2024
Certificates
According to testimonies published by the Prisoners’ Affairs Authority, most of the detainees Gaza strip They fainted several times during torture, while so-called “torture parties” became common in prisons, where prisoners were gathered in a public square and the jailers practiced their sadism.
The Commission quoted three prisoners from Gaza who were recently visited by its lawyer as saying, “What we were subjected to was a real fascism; stripping, beating, torture, abuse, tying hands and feet, and blindfolding. We were turned into prey for these rabid beasts, who took pleasure in our hunger, thirst, screaming, and illness, to the point that we do not believe today that we are still alive.”
“The journey of death from the moment of arrest, through transportation in military vehicles and trucks (…) until we reached the prisons where we wished the ground would swallow us up because of the hatred and madness we saw from soldiers in the prime of their lives, who tortured us in every way and manner… Our bones were broken, our heads were opened, and blood flowed from all our bodies.”
The three prisoners added, “Since our arrest, we have spent most of our time sitting on our feet or lying on our stomachs (…) Dogs were also used to assault and terrorize us (…) We are not exaggerating if we say that the majority of Gaza’s prisoners have lost consciousness many times under the open and unrestrained beating.”
The number of prisoners and detainees in the occupation prisons is about 9,900, in addition to prisoners from Gaza who the occupation recognized and classified as “illegal combatants”, numbering 1,584, in addition to an unknown number in the camps affiliated with the army.
Legal employment
According to Addameer, the occupation authorities have introduced amendments to the “Unlawful Combatant” law that allow people to be arrested without being presented to any legal authority for up to 75 days from the beginning of the arrest, in addition to not allowing them any legal consultation for a period of up to 6 months.
Several amendments were also made to the “Arrests Law of 1996” which in turn allowed for the extension of detention each time for a period of 45 days for the purposes of investigation, which may reach a period of 6 months, without the slightest real judicial oversight during this period of the practices of torture and degrading treatment.
Addameer Foundation asserts that “there is a reasonable basis to claim that the occupation forces are committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against prisoners from the Gaza Strip, with the partnership and complicity of the government, judges, prison authorities, police forces, and the occupation army.”
The Foundation demands that the Public Prosecutor International Criminal Court “To conduct a special investigation into crimes against prisoners, and take the necessary measures to hold accountable all those responsible for these crimes.”
Amnesty International releases new research including harrowing testimonies of torture from 27 former prisoners, including a 14-year-old boy. pic.twitter.com/X3fc9eJe1B
— Amnesty International (@AmnestyAR) July 18, 2024
Forms of torture
Forms of torture and crimes against prisoners were mentioned in reports by Palestinian institutions specialised in prisoners’ affairs, especially the Prisoners’ Affairs Authority, the Prisoners’ Club, and the Addameer Prisoner Care and Human Rights Association, in addition to testimonies documented by Al Jazeera Net.
The organization also published:B'TselemThe Israeli human rights organization, the day before yesterday, Monday, published an extensive report entitled “Welcome to Hell,” referring to what the prison guards used to say when the prisoners arrived at the prisons, adding that “the prisons have turned into torture networks.”
The most prominent torture tools were pepper gas, sound bombs, wooden and iron sticks and batons, rifles and their butts, iron ring grips, electric stun guns, dogs, beating, punching and kicking.
Common forms of torture include:
- Blindfolding for long hours and sometimes days and weeks.
- Handcuffing around the clock for weeks, and tightening them in a way that leads to bleeding and amputation of organs.
- Forcing prisoners to squat and sleep on their stomachs for periods of up to weeks and months.
- Severe beatings with batons, military boots and electric cables on various parts of the body.
- Beating sensitive areas “until the prisoner loses the ability to reproduce,” according to a released prisoner’s statement to Al Jazeera Net.
- Hitting and pulling the genitals and testicles.
- Hitting with an iron hammer “sledgehammer” on the back, knees and testicles.
- Rape and sexual assault, either by inserting sticks and sharp objects into the anus or by police dogs. On July 29, 2024, the occupation military police raided the camp.Sadi Teman“The military, and arrested soldiers accused of brutal sexual assault on a detainee from the Gaza Strip, and then released a number of them.
- Starvation, as the testimonies of released prisoners agreed that they had not been satisfied since October 7, and the meals provided to them were poor in quantity and quality, most of which consisted of soaked rice served in a few spoonfuls.
- Thirst, as prisoners are deprived of water 23 hours a day, and in one hour they have to drink water and fulfill all their needs, such as washing, bathing, ablution, etc.
- Electric shock.
- Hanging in different positions for long hours, bending the back in the “banana” style, tying the hands and feet of prisoners and making them sit or force them to stand for long periods, and depriving them of sleep, rest or relieving themselves during hanging.
- Unleashing police dogs on prisoners to devour their flesh.
According to the agreement of the prisoners' institutions, detainees are subjected to medical crimes and deprivation of treatment, including cancer patients. Medical negligence has led to the spread of many skin diseases.
The most prominent results of torture:
- Dozens of prisoners were martyred.
- Amputation of limbs and organs.
- memory loss.
- Fainting cases.
- Bleeding from the mouth and body parts.
- Tired bodies and sore muscles.
- Weight loss of more than 40 kilograms for each prisoner who has spent more than 6 months.
Collective punishments:
- Do not allow people to leave the room and be exposed to the sun.
- Deprivation of clothing or changing it.
- Depriving prisoners of the right to cut their hair, beards and nails.
- Bathing was prohibited except in rare cases, after which prisoners were forced to wear the same dirty clothes.
- Withdrawing all the prisoners’ belongings and needs, including clothing, food, and cleaning supplies, including paper towels.
- Preventing congregational prayer, raising the voice when reciting the Qur’an, confiscating copies of the Qur’an, and punishing rooms in which the call to prayer is heard with beating parties.
- Sleep deprivation, pulling blankets and bedding.
Psychological torture:
- Vulgar and offensive language directed at the sisters, wives and mothers of prisoners.
- Forcing prisoners to repeat insults and curses to themselves and sing the Israeli national anthem.
- Forcing prisoners to imitate dog sounds.
- Complete stripping of prisoners, including women.
Legal violations:
- Lack of fair trial.
- Failure to place prisoners in prisons that comply with international standards.
- Withholding news about prisoners and their places of detention from human rights organizations.
- Preventing visits from prisoners’ families, lawyers and human rights institutions.
- Most of the prisoners from Gaza are held either in special sections of prisons or inside unfit shacks (tin structures) in army camps, including Sde Teiman in Beersheba and Anatot camp in Jerusalem.
