In accordance with Human Rights Watch (HRW), Palestinian well being care employees have been rounded up at medical amenities in Gaza, despatched to Israeli detention facilities, after which severely ill-treated and, in some circumstances, tortured.
A report launched by Human Rights Watch on Monday particulars the torture, rape threats and sexual abuse, denial of medical care and egregious abuse medical doctors, nurses and paramedics have confronted allegedly by the hands of Israeli forces because the battle in Gaza started in October. Situations of detention.
The detentions are a part of the rationale Gaza’s well being care system has collapsed since Israel launched a battle that has killed greater than 40,000 Palestinians.
“The Israeli authorities continues to abuse Palestinian well being care employees from behind and this must cease instantly,” stated Balkis Jarrah, performing Center East director of the human rights group.
“Torture and different ill-treatment of medical doctors, nurses and caregivers ought to be completely investigated and appropriately punished, together with by the Worldwide Felony Court docket (ICC),” Jarrah stated in an announcement.
The group’s interviews with eight launched medical employees and 7 witnesses revealed abuses in Israeli detention, together with humiliation, beatings, pressured stress positions, extended handcuffing and blindfolding.
“His ass is bleeding”
Walid Khalili, a paramedic, was blindfolded and transported to Israel’s Sde Teiman army detention facility, identified for the rape of a minimum of one Palestinian detainee.
He advised Human Rights Watch that when his blindfold was eliminated, he noticed dozens of detainees with chains hooked up to their handcuffs hanging from the ceiling of a big warehouse-like constructing.
The report stated Khalili was hung in chains like different prisoners, clothed, with a scarf tied to a wire and given electrical shocks.
“It is so degrading and unbelievable,” he advised Human Rights Watch. “I assist individuals as a paramedic. I by no means thought something like this might occur.
One other paramedic at Naqab jail stated he noticed a person “bleeding from his buttocks.”
The person revealed to paramedics that earlier than he was taken into custody, “three troopers took turns raping him with M16 pistols” [assault rifle]. Nobody else knew, however he advised me as a caregiver. He was scared,” the report quoted the paramedic as saying.
In accordance with Human Rights Watch, the detained medical employees have been detained by the army from November to December and held with out cost for seven days to 5 months.
Human rights teams say they’ve been threatened with indefinite detention, rape and the killing of members of the family in Gaza, forcing them to confess they’re members of Hamas.
Nobody was knowledgeable of the rationale for the detention or charged with against the law, the report stated.
Stories from the Workplace of the United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Aid and Works Company for Palestine Refugees and different human rights teams have equally documented torture and ill-treatment of Palestinians in Israeli detention.
In accordance with Gaza’s well being ministry, Israeli forces have detained a minimum of 310 Palestinian medical employees since October 7.
Human Rights Watch stated the well being disaster in Gaza has been worsened by extended arbitrary detention and ill-treatment.
Because the begin of the battle with Israel, medical employees have been working laborious to maintain the Gaza well being system functioning regardless of destruction of amenities, lack of provides and gas, and fixed assaults.
Medical employees in Gaza danger their lives to assist these injured in Israeli airstrikes, and lots of paramedics themselves have been focused by Israeli forces whereas responding to the assaults.
