Palestinian well being employees had been detained in medical services in Gaza, despatched to detention centres in Israel after which severely mistreated and a few tortured, in response to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
An HRW report launched Monday particulars alleged torture, threats of rape and sexual abuse by Israeli forces, denial of medical care and poor detention situations confronted by docs, nurses and paramedics because the Gaza warfare started in October.
The arrests are partly the rationale for the collapse of Gaza’s well being system since Israel started the warfare, which has killed greater than 40,000 Palestinians.
“The Israeli authorities’s mistreatment of Palestinian well being employees has continued within the shadows and should cease instantly,” stated Balkees Jarrah, appearing Center East director for the human rights group.
“Torture and different ill-treatment of docs, nurses and paramedics should be completely investigated and appropriately punished, together with by the Worldwide Legal Court docket (ICC),” Jarrah stated in an announcement.
The group’s interviews with eight launched well being employees and 7 witnesses revealed ill-treatment in Israeli custody, together with humiliation, beatings, pressured stress positions, extended handcuffing and blindfolding.
‘Bleeding from the butt’
A paramedic, Walid Khalili, was blindfolded and brought to the Israeli navy detention middle of Sde Teiman, identified for the rape of no less than one Palestinian detainee.
He informed HRW that after his blindfold was eliminated, he noticed dozens of detainees hanging from the ceiling of a big warehouse-like constructing, with chains connected to their handcuffs.
Khalili was chained and hanged like the opposite prisoners, carrying a garment and headband connected with wires, and given electrical shocks, the report stated.
“It was so degrading, unbelievable,” he informed HRW. “I used to be serving to individuals as a paramedic. I by no means anticipated something like that.”
One other paramedic detained at al-Naqab jail stated he noticed a person “bleeding from his butt.”
The person informed the paramedic that earlier than he was arrested, “three troopers took turns raping him with an M16 pistol.” [assault rifle]“Nobody else knew, however he informed me as a paramedic. I used to be terrified,” the paramedic was quoted as saying.
The detained well being employees had been held with out cost for anyplace from seven days to 5 months after being kidnapped by the navy between November and December, HRW reported.
They had been pressured into confessing to being Hamas members via varied threats of indefinite detention, rape and the homicide of their households in Gaza, the rights group stated.
In response to the report, none of them had been knowledgeable of the rationale for his or her arrest or charged with any crime.
Reviews by the Workplace of the United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Aid and Works Company for Palestine Refugees and different human rights teams have additionally documented torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israel.
Israeli forces have detained no less than 310 Palestinian well being employees since October 7, in response to the Gaza Well being Ministry.
Because of their extended arbitrary detention and ill-treatment, the well being disaster in Gaza has worsened, HRW stated.
Because the begin of Israel’s warfare, medical employees have been struggling to maintain Gaza’s well being system working regardless of destroyed services, lack of provides and gasoline, and ongoing assaults.
Medics in Gaza danger their lives to assist these injured by Israeli airstrikes, and plenty of of them paramedics have themselves been focused by Israeli forces whereas responding to assaults.
