International Courant
In keeping with Human Rights Watch (HRW), Palestinian well being staff have been rounded up from medical services in Gaza and despatched to detention facilities in Israel, the place they have been severely abused and a few have been tortured.
A HRW Report A report revealed on Monday detailed alleged torture, threats of rape and sexual abuse by Israeli forces, denial of medical care and poor detention circumstances confronted by docs, nurses and paramedics for the reason that battle in Gaza started in October.
The arrests are partly liable for the collapse of Gaza’s well being care system since Israel launched the battle that has killed greater than 40,000 Palestinians.
“The Israeli authorities’s abuse of Palestinian healthcare staff continues in secret and should cease instantly,” stated Balkees Jarrah, appearing Center East director on the human rights group.
“The torture and different ill-treatment of docs, nurses and paramedics have to be totally investigated and appropriately punished, together with by the Worldwide Prison Court docket (ICC),” Jarrah stated in an announcement.
The group’s interviews with eight launched well being staff and 7 witnesses revealed that they have been mistreated in Israeli captivity, together with humiliation, beatings, pressured stress positions, extended handcuffing and blindfolding.
‘Bleeding from his backside’
One of many paramedics, Walid Khalili, was blindfolded and brought to the Israeli navy detention heart Sde Teiman, the place at the very least one Palestinian prisoner was raped.
He advised HRW that after his blindfold was eliminated, he noticed dozens of prisoners hanging from the ceiling of a big warehouse-like constructing, chains connected to their handcuffs.
Khalili was chained and hanged, like different prisoners. He wore a gown and headband connected to wires. He was given electrical shocks, the report stated.
“It was so humiliating, it was unbelievable,” he advised HRW. “I used to be serving to folks as a paramedic. I by no means anticipated something like this.”
One other arrested paramedic in al-Naqab jail stated he noticed a person “bleeding from his buttocks”.
The person advised the paramedic that earlier than he was taken into custody, “three troopers took turns raping him with an M16 (assault rifle). Nobody else knew, however he advised me as a paramedic. He was terrified,” the report quoted the paramedic as saying.
The detained well being staff have been held for between seven days and 5 months with out cost. They have been taken by the navy between November and December, HRW reported.
They have been pressured to admit to being members of Hamas and have been threatened with varied threats, together with indefinite detention, rape and the killing of their households in Gaza, the human rights group stated.
In keeping with the report, nobody was ever knowledgeable of the explanation for the arrest or charged with against the law.
Stories by the Workplace of the United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Aid and Works Company for Palestine Refugees and different human rights organizations have additionally documented torture and ill-treatment of Palestinians in Israeli custody.
In keeping with the Gaza Ministry of Well being, Israeli forces have detained at the very least 310 Palestinian well being staff since October 7.
In keeping with HRW, the well being disaster in Gaza has worsened because of their extended arbitrary detention and ill-treatment.
Because the battle in Israel started, medical staff have been struggling to maintain Gaza’s well being system operating regardless of destroyed services, an absence of provides and gas, and ongoing assaults.
Docs in Gaza are risking their lives to assist these wounded by Israeli airstrikes. Furthermore, many paramedics have themselves been focused by Israeli forces whereas responding to assaults.
Palestinian medics taken from Gaza and tortured in captivity: Report | Information on the Israeli-Palestinian battle
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