The Arab League has called for urgent international intervention to pressure Israeli authorities into halting the enforced disappearance of Palestinian prisoners and detainees from the Gaza Strip.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has conducted extensive and unprecedented detention campaigns. According to a recent report by the UN Human Rights Office, thousands of Palestinian civilians, including women, children, and the elderly from Gaza, medical staff, along with nearly 10,000 arrest cases against the residents of the West Bank who are held captives in the Israeli secret detentions.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said: “The testimonies gathered by my office and other entities indicate a range of appalling acts, such as waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees, amongst other acts, in flagrant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.”
Detainees reported horrific conditions, as they were held in cage-like facilities, stripped naked for extended periods. Their testimonies revealed blindfolding, food and water deprivation, electric shocks, and cigarette burns. Some faced waterboarding and sexual and gender-based violence.
According to Qatar News Agency release (QNA), The Arab League has emphasised the responsibility of the international community, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and human rights institutions in supporting Palestinian prisoners and detainees. It urges Israel, as the de facto occupying power, to uphold the Geneva Conventions concerning prisoners.
Investigating the circumstances
The Arab League has demanded dignified treatment of prisoners and detainees and emphasised the need to compel Israel to cease all torture crimes, dehumanization, and enforced disappearances. It has urged the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to investigate the circumstances surrounding these detentions for revealing the names of those who lost their lives in these detention centers and holding the perpetrators accountable. The Qatar News Agency reported on Saturday.
According to the Human Rights Council, over one million Palestinians have been arrested, with 255 deaths in Israeli prisons since 1967, representing approximately 20% of the current total Palestinian population in the Occupied Territories.
In addition, since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has detained at least 335 women and 680 children. More than 3,400 have been put under administrative detention, as reported by Al Jazeera.
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