The war between Israel and Hamas
Whistleblower about the horrors in Israeli prison camps
Nivette Dawod
Updated 17.32 | Published 17.19
Palestinian prisoners are stripped, beaten and tied up - some so severely that limbs have to be amputated.
This is stated by three whistleblowers for CNN.
- They deprived them of everything that could be considered human, says one of the sources.
At least three Israeli military bases have reportedly been converted into prison camps for Palestinians from Gaza as part of Israel's war against Hamas, following the October 7 terror attacks.
Testimonies from whistleblowers who worked at one of the camps, Sde Teiman in the Negev Desert, are now being published by the American televition channel CNN.
One of the sources has photographed from the camp on two occasions.
Pictures show a large number of men in gray tracksuits, sitting on paper-thin mattresses behind fences. Several wear blindfolds.
The person who took the photo says that a stench from rotting wounds filled the room. Many of the men mumbled to themselves, as they were not allowed to talk to each other.
"It was a punishment"
- We were told that they were not allowed to move. They would sit upright. They weren't allowed to talk. Don't look under the blindfold, says the source.
"Problematic" prisoners were punished.
- The assault did not take place to obtain information. It happened because of revenge. It was a punishment for what they (Palestinians, ed. note) did on October 7, and for behavior in the camp, says a source.
The base is said to consist of two parts, a prison camp with 70 prisoners and a field hospital. At the hospital, it has happened that doctors have been forced to amputate prisoners who have been injured by constantly wearing handcuffs.
Wear diapers
Often, under-qualified medical staff are allowed to perform the amputations, as part of their training. It has happened so often that the field hospital is described as "a paradise for medical students", because they get to do as little as they want.
At the field hospital, the prisoners are said to be strapped to their beds, wearing diapers and being fed through straws.
- They deprived them of everything that could be considered human, says a source who worked at the field hospital.
Increased avalanche type
According to Israeli law, the military can hold people for 45 days without an arrest warrant. After that, they must be transferred to the formal prison system. Around 9,000 Palestinians are being held there in conditions that have worsened since October 7, according to several human rights groups. The same groups also state that arrests increased avalanche-like after 7 October.
The Israeli army tells CNN that it ensures the proper treatment of detainees and that all allegations of misconduct are investigated. They also write that they are not aware of the illegal use of handcuffs and that prisoners get their clothes back after it has been determined that they do not pose a security risk.
It is nowhere denied that prisoners' clothes are confiscated or that prisoners are forced to wear diapers.
FACTS
Background
More than seven months have passed since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel in what is being called the worst massacre of Jews in modern times.
Over 1,100 people, mainly Israelis, were killed and 240 people were kidnapped. Over 130 of them are still believed to be with Hamas in Gaza.
The military invasion that Israel launched shortly afterwards against the Gaza Strip - with the aim of exterminating Hamas and bringing back the hostages - has been very bloody. By Palestinians it is called a new Nakba, catastrophe, just like the expulsion of Palestinians that took place in 1948 when the state of Israel was established.
According to the Hamas-controlled health department in Gaza, over 35,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed by Israeli attacks. The UN agency Ocha breaks down the killed into four different groups: Men 40 percent, children 32 percent, women 20 percent and "elderly", 8 percent.
Over 77,000 have been injured.
FACTS
Palestinians are often arrested by the Israeli military
Arrests of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have been occurring for many years, but have increased explosively since October 7, 2023.
Exactly how many Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel is unclear, UNRWA has previously claimed that 3,000 Gazans are in Israeli prisons.
At the end of January, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that at least 4,700 Palestinians from the West Bank are being held captive by Israel. That figure was stated to be the highest in many years, and is estimated to be increasing.
Palestinian children are also imprisoned. The organization Defense for Children International has previously stated that 500-700 are imprisoned annually, most suspected of throwing stones.
Not all Palestinians who are arrested are suspected of crimes, or convicted. A significant group are "administratively deprived of liberty". They are detained without trial and without knowing what they are suspected of.
Several organizations, including Amnesty, have for many years raised the alarm about the abuses of Palestinian prisoners, including inhuman and degrading treatment, beatings, and sexual violence have been reported.
According to the new Unrwa report, 1,506 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza have been released through the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) border crossing until April 4, 2024. Among them were 43 children (39 boys, four girls) and 84 women. 23 people were Unrwa employees.
Sources: UN, Amnesty International, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, New York Times.
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