Gaza detainees say they were subjected to beatings, torture, forced deprivation by Israeli forces

By Hani Alshaer and Muhammed Emin Canik

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Palestinians detained by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip have reported they experienced severe beatings, torture and ill-treatment, as Israel subjected residents to forced deprivation of food and water, a source told Anadolu.

During Israel’s ground offensive on Oct. 27 in Gaza, which exacerbated the humanitarian crisis caused by previous attacks, the Israeli military released 114 Palestinians, including four women.

An unnamed source from the Palestinian General Administration For Borders and Crossings told Anadolu that the individuals reached Gaza through the Karem Abu Salem Border Crossing.

Ten of those released who had serious health conditions were transferred to the Abu Yusuf al-Najjar Hospital in southern Gaza.

The source said some of the detainees exhibited blood clots in the head and neck areas and faced difficulties breathing. The Palestinians displayed swelling to their hands and wounds in various parts of their bodies as they were brought to the hospital.

Muhammed Nablusi, 64, said he was forcibly taken from his home in Khan Younis to a house occupied by the army where he and three others were "violently assaulted without apparent cause."

After several hours, Nablusi was transferred to an interrogation center in Ashkelon in southern Israel, where he was questioned by intelligence officers about his activities on Oct. 7.

Despite clarifying that his son had been living abroad for 10 years, Nablusi said he was physically assaulted by officers who disapproved of his response.

"I was severely beaten and suffered fractures in my chest and various parts of my body. We have never seen worse days and conditions in our lives," he said.

Another Palestinian, identified as 50-year-old Ebu Humeys, reported being detained by Israeli forces in a school in the Al-Bureij Refugee Camp in central Gaza.

He described being forced to spend a night in freezing conditions in his underwear.

During his detention, Humeys questioned soldiers about the alleged crimes that led to his severe beating and torture.

"We were arrested as civilians, unarmed, with our hands raised. Why did they torture us so much?" said Humeys, drawing attention to the hardships they endured.

He said regardless of the questions they asked, soldiers responded with "profanity, more beatings, and torture."

Not specifying the duration of his detention, Humeys said that even while eating and using the restroom, he was blindfolded.

He noted that Israeli forces unleashed dogs on Palestinians, highlighting the dehumanizing treatment.

"They treated us like animals. Sometimes we sat in the same place, eating, drinking, and attending to our needs."

Israel has mounted a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since a surprise attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7. The Israeli onslaught has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians and injured over 66,000.

About 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.