Smoke rising from Israeli airstrike on Gaza Strip, 2023.

Israel/Palestine: One Year of Torture and Horror, Universality at the Brink

The past year has seen a further erosion of the absolute prohibition of torture, the foundation of the international human rights order. The United Against Torture Consortium (UATC) recalls that torture remains prohibited under any circumstances including in times of war and calls on all parties and the international community to take immediate action to uphold the global and absolute ban on torture and other ill-treatment.

We are gravely alarmed by the policy and practice of collective punishment and widespread torture and ill-treatment of Palestinians by Israel, one year after the attack by Hamas. While we continue to condemn the killing, torture of civilians, and the taking of hostages by Hamas, such crimes must never justify or relativize the policies and practices inflicted since then by Israel on the Palestinian people, including the systematic and intentional killings and attacks on civilians, including children, mass displacement, and sheer scale of destruction of homes, infrastructure, and literally every walk of life in Gaza.

We urge the international community to finally come together to end this daily horror and make every effort to end these policies and end and prevent the realisation of genocide, and to prompt the effective implementation of the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Over the past twelve months, we have seen a pattern of dehumanisation, including consistent accounts by Israeli and Palestinian organisations, such as B’TSELEM and TRC, exposing the extensive use of torture and other ill-treatment against Palestinians in Israeli detention, including children, healthcare workers, and other civilians. B’TSELEM further documented 60 deaths of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody. Their accounts were confirmed by a report published by United Nations Human Rights office in July which examined the prolonged and arbitrary detention of thousands of Palestinians since last October and highlighted serious allegations of torture and other ill-treatment against Palestinian detainees, including severe beatings, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, stress positions, prolonged solitary confinement, inhumane detention conditions, and denial of medical care. These practices are not new, but the situation has dramatically deteriorated since 7 October 2023, exposing a deliberate campaign to punish, dehumanize, and break the spirit of Palestinian detainees.

The denial of access to Palestinian detainees in Israel prisons and military camps for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and non-governmental organisations has further exacerbated the situation of detainees, as the monitoring functions out carried by both are crucial to prevent torture and other ill-treatment. This denial of access constitutes a violation of international humanitarian and human rights law. Growing concerns have also arisen regarding the obstacles and reprisals faced by lawyers who are attempting to access Palestinian detainees.

Since December 2023, the situation has further deteriorated following the amendment of Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law, which was renewed in April 2024. This law permits the indefinite detention of Palestinians from the occupied Gaza Strip without charge or trial and allows for them to be held incommunicado in military camps, cut off from legal counsel and family contact. This has led to a significant number of people who are presently unaccounted for, legally constituting enforced disappearances.

Detainees held at the Sde Teman detention centre, for example, have provided reports and accounts that paint a dramatic picture of abuse, dehumanisation and torture. Those responsible must be held to account. Reports received in September 2024 reveal that the facility remains operational with 24 detainees, including a child. This centre must be closed immediately to prevent further human rights violations. We are equally concerned that similar practices may be used in other locations that have replaced Sde Teman.

The scope of abuse is not limited to detainees from Gaza. Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have also suffered widespread reprisals and attacks. Arbitrary detentions have surged, with nearly 10,000 Palestinians currently imprisoned, including 2,300 under the Unlawful Combatants Law. Of these, 700 are held in military camps, according to the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI). Human rights defenders and organisations working to document these abuses face constant harassment from Israeli authorities. Some have been forced to operate in extreme conditions, with their offices destroyed, staff members killed or seriously injured, and facing challenges in securing basic necessities like food, shelter, and medicine. One of the many examples is that of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) which provides psychological first aid (often life-saving) to Palestinians, including individuals detained by Israel forces.

Children are among the most vulnerable victims of this systemic abuse. Recent reports by Save the Children and Defense for Children International Palestine have highlighted the severe abuse of Palestinian children in Israeli detention, including physical torture during interrogations and in military prisons where they are often held in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions that facilitate the spread of infectious diseases. Many children are denied legal representation and isolated from their families for extended periods, increasing their trauma and suffering.

The lack of an adequate international response to this crisis has nurtured arguments of double standards and selectiveness, gravely undermining the universal human rights and anti-torture framework and having brought it to a brink. The answer to this torture crisis must now be an end to the war and respect for the rule of law and international justice. To this aim, the UATC calls on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expedite the issuance of the arrest warrants and on the prosecutor to expand his investigation into the crime of torture.

The international community must fully and unconditionally support the efforts of the ICC and the UN human rights system, while pressing Israel to allow unrestricted access for comprehensive, impartial, and transparent investigations. The UATC also recalls the authority of the ICJ’s advisory opinion that declared the occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory illegal. Furthermore, we urge States to take concrete actions to prevent genocide, torture, and other international crimes, including by stopping the supply of arms to Israel.

To restore basic protection, we call on Israel to allow immediate and unrestricted access to all Israeli prisons, detention centres, and military camps by independent monitors, including the ICRC, United Nations mechanisms, and civil society organisations. Basic detention safeguards must be urgently and fully restored, ensuring detainees have access to adequate medical care and legal representation. It is also crucial to guarantee regular communication with family members as this upholds the dignity and well-being of persons deprived of liberty and protects the right to be free from torture and other ill-treatment. The UATC calls on the Israeli authorities to ensure that all victims of torture and other ill-treatment receive full reparation and rehabilitation. This is not only a legal right of the victims but also a necessary step toward rebuilding the lives and the social fabric of the Palestinian people.

We reiterate our call for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas as well as all Palestinians arbitrarily detained in Israeli custody. The UATC stands in solidarity with all victims of torture and ill-treatment worldwide and reaffirms its commitment to ending torture and promoting justice, dignity, and human rights for all.

About the Consortium: The United Against Torture Consortium pools the strengths and expertise of six leading anti-torture organisations (IRCT, OMCT, FIACAT, APT, Omega Research Foundation, and REDRESS) in partnership with over 200 civil society organisations in more than 100 countries, to strengthen and expand the anti-torture movement. The European Union funds the project.

The present statement was issued by the crisis-response team on Palestine and Israel that was established within UATC in 2024 and includes IRCT, OMCT, Omega Research Foundation and REDRESS.

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Photo by Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0