Gaza - Together - The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said that it received new testimonies from Palestinian detainees released from Israeli prisons and detention centers confirming the continued systematic commission of crimes of violent torture and inhuman and degrading treatment against thousands of Palestinian civilians who were arrested as part of the crime of genocide carried out by it. The Israeli army has been in the Gaza Strip since October 7th. The Euro-Mediterranean Monitor called on international justice institutions and the international community to break the cycle of silence, express strict positions, and take serious steps regarding the unfolding brutal torture based on discrimination, collective revenge, and dehumanization to which Palestinian civilians, male and female, are exposed, which has reached the point of murder, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. , and forced injections with unknown substances, leaving scars and distinct marks on their bodies, stressing the need to o blige Israel to end all its crimes against Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including the crimes of torture, inhuman treatment, and enforced disappearance that it practices against thousands of them. The Euro-Med Monitor noted that it followed the Israeli army's release of dozens of detainees on Tuesday, June 11, from the Zikim area in the northern Gaza Strip. During the moment of their release, the Israeli army opened fire on them and forced them to walk and jog hundreds of meters until they could reach the areas. They arrived in a deplorable state as a result of fatigue, which worsened the health condition they were already suffering from as a result of their exposure to torture and abuse over the course of their detention. 33 of them arrived at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, to receive treatment. In his testimony to the Euro-Med team, the released detainee, Samir Abdullah Jamal Marjan (23 years old), confirmed that he was severely beaten, subjected to electric shocks, in sults, and attempted to be injected with unknown substances. He said: 'The Israeli army arrested me on March 11, 2024, from the Nabulsi checkpoint south of West of Gaza, while I was trying to flee to the south, they transferred me to a detention center opposite Rafah for two months, then I was transferred to Ashkelon prison, and I spent two months there in Mardwan (the corridor). I and the other prisoners lived through difficult days every day, including brutal beatings and insults, in addition to the use of dogs to attack They intimidated us and used electricity to torture us. In Ashkelon prison, the situation was worse. I was in a solitary confinement cell and remained for 12 days without food during the investigation. They used electric shocks to obtain confessions and asked us about Hamas and the tunnels, and when I said I did not know, I was a civilian and had no knowledge of other matters. My beatings. The interrogation was accompanied by assaults and brutal torture. I was subjected to interrogation eve ry 10 days. I witnessed the suffering of others whose health condition deteriorated and worsened, and they even contracted diseases there without medical attention, in addition to the army giving some prisoners unknown injections. I refused to be injected with it, and because of that, I was beaten and tortured with electricity. Torture continued throughout the detention period. Yesterday, because I was late in the bathroom, one of the officers came and electrocuted me, and the effects of that are still present in my body. Even the bathroom is calculated at a specific time, so if you are late for more than 4 minutes, you will be exposed to electricity. I was surprised when they told me last night that I would be released, and I could not sleep for joy. Then they took us and dropped us off at Zikim and opened fire around us.' In another testimony by Amr Abdel Fattah Al-Aklouk to the Euro-Mediterranean field team, he is a resident of the Gaza Strip. He was receiving treatment in Jerusalem and was arrested by th e Israeli army three times since the outbreak of the attack on the Gaza Strip, most recently on June 5, during which he confirmed the death of Another detainee under torture by Israeli army forces said: 'About 5 days ago, I encountered a detainee named 'Muhammad Al-Kahlot,' a resident of Al-Faluga, north of Gaza. He told me to contact his family if I went out and tell them that he was fine. He was in the room opposite us and I was talking to him. From Shabak and I did not know that I would be released. The next day after our conversation, he died as a result of being tortured, and the army put his body in a plastic body bag and took him to a place I do not know where. During my detention, there was a group of detainees from the Gaza Strip, and they classified them as security prisoners They are oppressed throughout the day and beaten brutally and randomly, affecting all parts of the body until their blood flows. Muhammad was killed under the torture he was subjected to at different times throughout the day.' I n another testimony, the elderly 'S.A' (65 years old) told the Euro-Med team details about his arrest from his home in the Jabalia camp, his exposure to torture, enforced disappearance, and detention in inhumane barracks, and the torture he witnessed of a mute young man, as he reported: 'The Israeli army entered the Jabalia camp.' Last May, we chose to stay in the house located in the Al-Qasasib neighborhood, behind the Jabalia Camp Agency clinic. The vehicles advanced to the area where we live, and the army entered the house we were in. They took us all out, and took me and two of my brothers' children, after the rest had left. For the western regions, that was on May 21, 2024, when they took us to an unknown destination. From the first moment we were blindfolded and did not know where we were going or what was happening around us during our detention period, which lasted nearly 20 days. It was like 20 years. Every day had a story Torture, beatings, and humiliation. When it was time to go to sleep, there wou ld be knocking on doors and loud speakers playing annoying music. Food was scarce, and a person could barely get a loaf of bread and a little cheese. It was difficult to go to the bathroom and the way they were treated was humiliating. They did not take into consideration that I was 65 years old, and I was not the oldest person There is a person over seventy years old. We were in a place that looked like a 'barracks.' No one knew where we were. There were many people arriving at this place that looked like a detention center, and the occupation army was working to deport many of them to places that no one knew. During our detention, there was a person among us who did not speak (mute). They continued to beat and torture him for several days, wanting him to answer questions while he did not speak. Handcuffs on our hands From the first moment of arrest, even when we ate and went to the bathroom, our hands were shackled. They informed us on Monday evening, June 10, 2024, that they would release us, and one of th e jailers threatened me: 'Do not complain anything to the press, or we will come to you again.' During our release on Tuesday afternoon, June 11, in the Zikim area adjacent to the town of Beit Lahia on the northwestern border, one of the soldiers told us: 'You only have 4 minutes to reach the residential areas, and after that, whoever I see, I will shoot.' We started running in the hot weather, despite the rough terrain and the lack of any dwellings in front of us at a distance.' Testimonies of released Palestinian detainees confirm that the Israeli forces are continuing with the approach of severe torture and retaliation against Palestinian detainees despite their awareness that they are civilians. Euro-Med believes that the continuation of this torture is a natural result of the isolation of the Palestinian people by Israel in light of the silence of the international community, including the relevant bodies in the United Nations. Euro-Med highlights what was indicated in the report of the Independent Int ernational Commission of Inquiry concerned with the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, which was published on June 12, regarding the crimes of torture and inhuman treatment to which Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in general, and Palestinian male and female detainees in particular, are exposed. Sexual violence, including being forced to be exposed in public, including while blinded, tied to a chair while kneeling or with their hands tied behind their backs, interrogated and/or subjected to physical and psychological abuse while naked, and being forced to perform humiliating acts while naked, such as dancing without clothes. While filming them. He stated that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, ignored the serious crimes committed by the Israeli security and military forces against Palestinian prisoners and detainees in the Palestinian territories in general, including crimes of unlawful confinement, premeditated murder, torture, rape, inhuman tr eatment, enforced disappearance, and intentional infliction of severe suffering. Through denial of necessary medical care and denial of a fair trial, especially in light of the presence of many reliable international reports supported by evidence issued by human rights and media institutions that confirm, based on the investigations they conducted, that torture and violence were committed against them on a widespread and systematic basis, including These are murders and torture, as there were Israeli reports of the killing of 36 detainees from the Gaza Strip within 8 months, in addition to hundreds of terrifying testimonies provided by those released. Dozens of complaints were also received about sexual violence, including nudity, verbal and sensual harassment, while international and press reports covered at least 7 cases of rape against Palestinian women and men detained inside Israeli prisons and detention centers. Euro-Med renews its call to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to continue investigating all crimes committed by Israel against Palestinian prisoners and detainees, expand the scope of investigation into individual criminal responsibility for these crimes to include all those responsible for them, and expedite the issuance of arrest warrants against all of them. Euro-Med also calls on the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the issue of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment to carry out the true role assigned to her in accordance with her mandate and to adhere to the rules of integrity and independence of her work, including carrying out immediate investigations and conducting country visits to find out the facts about what is being done to him. Male and female detainees are subject to grave violations and serious crimes, and submit reports about them, instead of leaving matters to the discretion of the Israeli authorities, in order to pave the way for the work of investigation and fact-finding committees and international courts in examining, inves tigating, and conducting trials regarding crimes committed by the Israeli army against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Euro-Med called on the international community to put pressure on the Israeli authorities to release all Palestinian detainees who were arbitrarily arrested, and if they are brought to trial, to guarantee all fair trial procedures, and to return the remains of Palestinian prisoners and detainees who were killed in Israeli prisons and detention centers. Euro-Med also renews its demand for the need to pressure Israel to immediately stop committing the crime of enforced disappearance against Palestinian prisoners and detainees from the Gaza Strip, immediately reveal all secret detention camps, disclose the names of all Palestinians it detains from the Gaza Strip, their fate and places of detention, and to bear its full responsibilities. towards their lives and safety. It also calls for the announcement of the formation of an independent international investigation committee specializing i n the crimes committed during the ongoing military attack on the Gaza Strip, in parallel with enabling the independent international investigation committee concerned with the occupied Palestinian territory that was formed in 2021 to carry out its work, including ensuring its access to the Gaza Strip and opening investigations. Necessary in all crimes and violations committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including investigating the circumstances of the killing of all Palestinian prisoners and detainees who died in Israeli prisons, and the crimes of torture and inhuman treatment to which Palestinian women and girls are subjected, and all forms of sexual violence. Source: Maan News Agency
Sunday, September 08, 2024