By Staff Reporter
The Embassy of the State of Palestine has strongly condemned the ongoing systematic torture and martyring of 58 Palestinian detainees by Israeli authorities.
In a statement Palestine’s envoy in Zimbabwe, Tamer Almassri said disturbingly, hundreds more remain unidentified, subjected to enforced disappearances in Israeli custody, with Israel refusing to provide any information about their whereabouts or condition.
He said autopsies conducted on the bodies of deceased detainees reveal a horrifying pattern: the overwhelming majority died as a direct result of torture, deliberate medical neglect, or a combination of both.
These findings underscore the brutality and inhumanity of Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners.
Almassri described the current conditions for Palestinian prisoners as the worst in history as dozens of detainees are being killed behind bars, many in obscure circumstances involving severe torture and ill-treatment, in addition to systematic manipulation, rape, beating, stripping naked, video recording, and humiliation.
He further condemned the fact that despite video evidence of these atrocities surfacing, Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have defended these heinous acts.
Furthermore, the majority of prisoners released under the current ceasefire deal suffer from health problems, including chronic diseases, as a direct result of Israeli crimes of torture, medical negligence, and systematic starvation. Many of them have been forced to undergo hospitalization after being exposed to these inhumane conditions.
The Israeli authorities are also perpetrating organized terrorism against the families of Palestinian detainees. These families face constant threats of arrest, killing, house raids, vandalism, and destruction of property. The occupation forces even attempt to manipulate the emotions of some families, adding another layer of cruelty to their actions.
The current number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails exceeds 10,400 This includes 87 female prisoners, at least 320 children, and 3,376 administrative detainees (95 children and 22 women) held without trial or charge. Crucially, this data is incomplete, as Israeli authorities refuse to provide information on all detainees from Gaza.
The state of Palestine calls on the international community to demand an immediate end to the torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian prisoners, hold Israel accountable for its violations of international humanitarian law, and conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of Palestinian prisoners and the widespread allegations of torture. The international community must act now to stop these egregious human rights abuses and ensure justice for Palestinian prisoners.
