UN chief demands accountability after report about abuse of Palestinian prisoners by Israel

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded accountability Wednesday after a report accused Israel of torturing Palestinian prisoners in the Gaza Strip.

Asked about the 23-page report by the UN Human Rights Office that was published Wednesday, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: "Our reaction is one of shock and one of horror in seeing these reports."

"It is, as in any of these cases, critical that there'd be accountability for those responsible for what we've been able to report," Dujarric told reporters.

The UN Human Rights Office published the report that revealed there have been allegations of widespread abuse of Palestinian prisoners held incommunicado in arbitrary and prolonged detention.

The report detailed testimonies of detainees subjected to waterboarding, prolonged blindfolding, deprivation of food and water, electric shocks and sexual violence.

Asked about Guterres not condemning the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran as he did after the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump, Dujarric said: "There is a conflict ongoing in the region."

Urging "restraint," Dujarric said, "It is critical that our calls, which are backed up by messages being passed on by our envoys, and especially those member states who have influence over all of the players in the region, all work towards that goal of de-escalation."

He cited information from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and said: "Attacks by Israeli forces and settlers continue to have a devastating impact on Palestinians" in the occupied West Bank.

"According to the latest figures from OCHA, six people were killed and nearly 80 Palestinians, including almost two dozen children, were injured by Israeli forces or settlers in incidents across the West Bank in just a single week, between 23 and 29 July," he said.