Palestinian journalist describes torture, abuse at Israeli detention camp

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - A Palestinian journalist from Gaza described multiple instances of torture, abuse and rape that he and other detainees endured at the Israeli Sde Teiman detention camp.

Mohammed Saber Arab, 42, detailed his harrowing experiences to his lawyer, Khaled Mahajneh, during a recent visit to the detention center.

Arab, who worked as a correspondent for Al Araby TV, was detained from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza amid a large-scale Israeli assault in March.

The Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society confirmed in a joint statement the visit by Mahajneh to Arab, who had been unaware of his location in the Sde Teiman camp until the lawyer informed him.

The statement highlighted Arab's testimony as one of many disturbing accounts from released Gaza detainees about the inhumane conditions of their captivity.

These accounts include reports of detainees dying as well as enduring torture, abuse and rape.

Arab said that detainees are kept blindfolded and handcuffed 24 hours a day. He noted that for 50 days, he had not changed his clothes and was only allowed to change his pants before the visit.

Detainees are subjected to continuous torture, physical and sexual abuse and humiliation, leading to deaths among them, he said.

He noted that conversations between detainees are prohibited, with severe beatings as punishment for violations, forcing detainees to talk to themselves and silently pray as they are deprived of religious practices.

The journalist pointed out that some detainees had their limbs amputated and bullets removed without anesthesia.

The detainees are constantly surrounded by police dogs, and only four detainees are allowed one minute in the bathroom at a time, with punishments for exceeding this limit. They sleep on the ground, using their shoes as pillows, he added.

He revealed that bathing is permitted once a week for only one minute and sleeping during the day is not allowed.

Arab also said that 50 days after his arrest, he was finally allowed to shave, and meals consist of small portions of labneh, or strained yogurt, and pieces of cucumber or tomato, which are provided consistently.

Since the war in Gaza began, the Israeli army has detained thousands of Palestinians, including women, children, health care workers and civil defense teams.

A small number have been released, while the fate of the remaining detainees remains unknown.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Nearly 37,400 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 85,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio