OPINION - Israel needs to face trial for organ trafficking: Claims and confessions

By Cagdas Yuksel

- The author is a researcher at TRT World Research Center based in Istanbul, Türkiye.

ISTANBUL (AA) – Israel’s ongoing wars to subjugate the Palestinians are often viewed through the lens of military operations, territorial disputes, and political deadlock. However, lurking behind these events may be a darker dimension where the vulnerable bodies of the oppressed are commodified for the organ trade industry.

Allegations that Israel has harvested organs from Palestinian detainees and victims of war for use in the international organ trade market or has become a hub for organ tourism have been long-standing. These claims are not limited to times of conflict but suggest that Palestinians’ bodies are commodified even in times of peace, adding a chilling and disturbing perspective to the ongoing human rights violations in the region.

Organ trafficking in conflict zones is not a new phenomenon. War zones, where law has collapsed, and human life is devalued, provide fertile ground for illegal activities. The removal of organs from war victims has been documented in conflict areas worldwide, including the Balkans and Sub-Saharan Africa. In this context, the United Nations Human Rights Conventions and the Geneva Conventions have established clear rules for the protection of civilians during conflicts. However, Israel has not ratified [1] the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which mandates respect for the dignity of the dead and prohibits the looting or mutilation of bodies.

​​​​​​​-Is Israel stealing organs from Palestinians?

In addition to Israel's avoidance of these international obligations, ethical and religious differences surrounding organ transplants feed into the controversy. While Jewish teachings highlight the principle of "pikuach nefesh" (saving a life), [2] orthodox Jews, in particular, reject organ donation, arguing that a person who is brain-dead is still alive. As a result, organ donation rates in Israel remain low. In Western countries, about 30% of people have organ donor cards, while in Israel, this figure [3] hovers around 14%. This gap fuels allegations that Israelis travel abroad for organ transplants and that Palestinian organs are being targeted.

The first significant emergence of organ trafficking accusations against Israel came during the First Palestinian Intifada in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. During this period, many Palestinian families claimed that the bodies of relatives who died in operations undertaken by Israeli forces were returned missing organs. Although initially dismissed as unfounded propaganda, the increase in similar reports strengthened speculation and concern. The case of young Palestinian Bilal Ahmed Ghanem, killed by Israeli soldiers in 1992, and a 2009 article in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet titled Our Sons’ Organs Were Stolen [4] further highlighted these claims. The article included interviews with families who alleged that Israel had harvested organs from deceased Palestinians and suggested a broader organ trafficking network connected to Israeli medical institutions.

Israeli officials have previously admitted removing body parts from Palestinians and other groups. In a controversial 2014 Israeli television program, senior officials confessed to harvesting skin [5] from deceased Palestinians and African workers, which was used to treat burns on Israeli soldiers. The director of the Israeli Skin Bank revealed [6] that the country’s human skin reserves had reached 17 square meters (183 square feet), a significant amount for a small population, suggesting a more extensive organ collection practice. Israeli doctor and anthropologist Meira Weiss, in her book [7] Over Their Dead Bodies (2002), provided details about the systematic harvesting of organs from Palestinians, which were used for medical research in Israeli universities and transplanted into Israeli patients.

A report [8] released by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor in October 2023 rekindled concerns over allegations of organ harvesting involving Palestinians, particularly in cases where bodies returned from Israeli custody showed signs of tampering. Gaza health officials have reported inconsistencies in the bodies released, pointing to organ removal. According to the report, Israeli forces collected dozens of Palestinian bodies from hospitals in northern Gaza, which were returned in a mutilated state. In July 2024, [9] Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the Israeli military held the bodies of 1,500 Palestinians at the Sde Teiman detention center. All these allegations highlight the urgent need for a thorough investigation into the dignity of war dead and broader human rights violations.

- EP lists Israel as one of the central countries involved in organ trafficking

Additionally, Israel has long been criticized as a destination for organ transplant tourism. A 2015 report [10] by the European Parliament, Trafficking in Human Organs, listed Israel as one of the central countries involved in organ trafficking, describing it as an importer and consumer of organs. The same report noted Israel’s refusal to sign the 2008 Istanbul Declaration, which aimed to combat organ trafficking.

Interest in organ transplants in Israel can also be tracked through internet searches and online activity. The Israeli Health Ministry’s official website lists [11] hospitals with organ transplant units. According to my research, Google searches related to organ transplants in Israeli hospitals spiked within the US following the start of war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Google Trends data show that searches for terms like "kidney in Israel" and hospitals such as Sheba Medical Center, Soroka Medical Center, and Rambam Health Campus saw a Google trend score increase from 0 to 100 in October 2023, whereas hospitals without transplant units, like Lis Maternity Hospital and Assuta Hospital, showed no such rise and the score is 0.

- Israel needs to be subjected to thorough investigation

In 2008, [12] Israel enacted the Organ Transplant Law to more strictly regulate organ donations and transplants. However, Israel’s onslaught on Gaza and ongoing allegations fueled continued concerns about organ exploitation.

Corroborating the allegations that Israel is harvesting Palestinians’ organs would require a complex investigative process. First, concrete evidence is needed to substantiate the crime, but Israel’s military occupation makes independent investigations nearly impossible. Legal obstacles also persist. Such actions by Israel would constitute clear violations of international law. The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the plundering of bodies and mandates the protection of civilians under occupation. Article 16 of the Convention [13] expressly prohibits the desecration of the dead and the mutilation of corpses. However, Israel does not recognize the applicability of the convention in Gaza and the West Bank.

Should these allegations be substantiated, Tel Aviv ought to be prosecuted for additional war crimes and crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has the authority to investigate such crimes. Although Israel is not a party to the ICC, [14] Palestine’s status as a member state could provide legal grounds for Israel’s prosecution. The ongoing reports of desecration, mutilation, and organ theft not only raise significant humanitarian concerns but also underscore the lack of accountability and justice in war zones.

Time has come for a thorough investigation to uncover the truth, provide justice to victims, and prevent further violations of international humanitarian law.

[1] https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-200116/

[2] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/pikuach-nefesh

[3] https://www.gov.il/en/pages/organ-transplant-donor-adi

[4] https://www.aftonbladet.se/kultur/a/Rx1n5A/our-sons-are-plundered-of-their-organs

[5] https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34503294

[6] https://www.euronews.com/2023/11/27/israel-stealing-organs-from-bodies-in-gaza-alleges-human-right-group

[7] https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231127-is-israel-stealing-organs-from-dead-palestinians/

[8] https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/5982/Int’l-committee-must-investigate-Israel’s-holding-of-dead-bodies-in-Gaza%E2%80%8B

[9] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-holds-1-500-palestinian-bodies-in-its-sde-teiman-detention-center/3276672

[10] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/549055/EXPO_STU(2015)549055_EN.pdf

[11] https://www.gov.il/en/pages/living-donor-organ-transplant

[12] https://ijhpr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13584-018-0203-6#:~:text=In%202008%2C%20responding%20to%20a,they%20participate%20in%20procurement%20efforts.

[13] https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.33_GC-IV-EN.pdf

[14] https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/role-icc#:~:text=There%20are%20124%20member%20countries,test%20for%20the%20court's%20power.

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Anadolu's editorial policy