New report details Israel's systematic sexual abuse and torture of Palestinians

By lauraharris // 2024-06-14

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A newly published report has revealed the harrowing extent of systematic sexual abuse and torture inflicted on Palestinian men, women and children by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The report, released on June 12 by the United Nations' Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, investigated multiple reports of human rights violations from Oct. 7 to Dec. 31. The commission focuses on Israeli attacks on Gaza, covering the first stages of the siege of Gaza, attacks on evacuating civilians, residential buildings and refugee camps. They gathered thousands of open-source items and received over 350 submissions from individuals, groups, and organizations following their call for information on October 20, 2023. They also obtained geospatial analyses from the United Nations Satellite Center. The Commission conducted remote interviews with victims and witnesses in Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories and other countries and met with stakeholders during missions to Turkey and Egypt. They gathered firsthand accounts from over 70 victims and witnesses, including many women and children, particularly regarding acts in Gaza since Oct. 7. Sexual and gender-based violence findings were based on victim and witness testimonies and forensic analysis of digital content. (Related: Horrifying details emerge of Israeli soldiers torturing and sexually abusing Palestinian detainees.) According to the findings, these violations were not isolated incidents but potentially part of standard operating procedures. The commission cited instances where Israeli forces publicly stripped Palestinian women of their clothes and veils, while Palestinian men and boys have been disproportionately affected and victimized on many grounds. "Palestinian men and boys have been disproportionally affected and victimized on many grounds, but the Commission has also documented cases where women and girls were subjected to similar treatment. The Commission heard accounts from several male victims concerning mistreatment, including physical and mental abuse while being undressed, as well as forced public nudity while compelled to walk barefoot for prolonged periods of time between checkpoints," the UN inquiry wrote. Disturbingly, the soldiers involved often filmed and photographed these acts. "The men were photographed undressed, only wearing undergarments, forced into subordinate positions (tied to a chair, kneeling on the ground or lying on the ground blindfolded and tied) and/or subjected to physical abuse. In several cases the men are blindfolded, with their hands tied behind their back. The Commission also documented digital footage of Palestinians who have been captured by Israeli soldiers, some men having been stripped naked and, in some cases, physically assaulted by soldiers," the findings stated.

Testimonies from other reports and investigations show similar human rights violation

The commission report aligns with the testimonies reported by other news sites from Palestinians detained by Israeli forces. For instance, a three-month investigation by the New York Times, published on June 6, also revealed the systematic sexual abuse and torture of Palestinians detained at the Sde Teiman military base and detention camp in the middle of the Negev desert in southern Israel. Fadi Bakr, a law student from Gaza City, described his four-day interrogation as “the worst four days of my life.” He reported being taken to a “disco room” where the music was so loud that his ears began to bleed. Another detainee testified that he was forced to sit on a metal stick that penetrated his rectum, an account similar to another from a UNRWA report, which described a detainee being made to sit on a hot metal stick that felt like fire. Former detainees also reported being punched, kicked, and beaten with batons, rifle butts, and a hand-held metal detector while in custody. One victim said his ribs were broken after being beaten with a rifle. Seven detainees reported being forced to wear nappies during interrogation, while another three said they received electric shocks. Eight former detainees described being blindfolded, handcuffed with zip ties and stripped to their underwear during their capture before being herded into military trucks with other half-naked men and transported to Sde Teiman. Another Middle East Eye report from March also revealed the same, where detainees described being physically tortured with dogs and electricity, subjected to mock executions and held in humiliating and degrading conditions. But despite all this reporting, Israel still dismissed the allegations as "evidently inaccurate" or "completely unfounded." Watch this Oct. 10 episode of "Brighteon Broadcast News" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, warns about Israel potentially committing genocide against the more than two million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

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Testimonies from other reports and investigations show similar human rights violation

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