Torture during the Gaza war

{{further|Israeli torture in the occupied territories|Sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during the Israel–Hamas war}}

Torture, ill-treatment, and sexual violence of detained Palestinians by Israel, have been reportedly prevalent for years before the 7 October attacks and invasion of Gaza, with documentation recorded by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) and Amnesty International. There has been extensive sexual violence against both male and female detainees, with the most notable case of imprisoned Lebanese Amal leader Mustafa Dirani, who sued Israel on the claim of rape.{{Cite journal |last=Weishut |first=Daniel |date=2015 |title=Sexual torture of Palestinian men by Israeli authorities |url=https://genderandsecurity.org/sites/default/files/Weishut_-_Sexual_Torture_of_Palestinian_M_by_Israeli_Authorities.pdf |journal=Reproductive Health Matters |volume=23 |issue=46 |pages=71–84 |via=The Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights}} According to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, torture is defined as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person" in order to extract information or serve out punishment.{{cite web |title=Are Palestinians being tortured in Israeli prisons? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/30/are-palestinians-being-tortured-in-israeli-prisons |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=18 August 2024}}

Doctors reported humiliation, beatings, and being forced to kneel for hours.{{cite web |last1=Cuddy |first1=Alice |title=Gaza medics tell BBC that Israeli troops beat and humiliated them after hospital raid |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68513408 |access-date=18 March 2024 |website=BBC}} One released man from Shuja'iyya, Gaza City reported beatings, stating that a female Israeli soldier would beat a 72-year-old man.{{cite web |title=More witness reports of detainee abuse |url=https://aje.io/53epb7?update=2577854 |access-date=25 December 2023 |website=Al Jazeera}} Another stated soldiers forced detainees to bark like dogs.{{cite web |title=Palestinian detainees describe horrific torture by Israeli forces |url=https://aje.io/ck8baq?update=2581739 |access-date=27 December 2023 |website=Al Jazeera}} A twenty-year-old man detained in the West Bank stated that he was blindfolded, beaten, burned with a cigarette, and treated "like an animal".{{cite web |title=Arrests, beatings and humiliation but 'no clear questions' from Israeli forces |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/29/israel-hamas-war-live-israel-kills-at-least-20-in-attack-on-rafah?update=2586115 |access-date=29 December 2023 |website=Al Jazeera}} Three brothers detained from the Gaza Strip described similar treatment in Israel prison, stating they were beaten, stripped to their underwear, and burnt with cigarettes.{{cite web |last1=Salem |first1=Saleh |last2=Masoud |first2=Bassam |title=Gaza brothers say they were beaten, mistreated in detention |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/three-gaza-brothers-say-they-were-beaten-mistreated-israeli-detention-2023-12-29/ |access-date=30 December 2023 |website=Reuters}} One released man stated, "They let dogs urinate on us and shoved sand on us. They threatened to shoot us."{{cite web |title=More accounts of abuse from Palestinians released from Israeli detention |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/20/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-denied-70-of-aid-to-north-gaza-says-un?update=2635341 |access-date=21 January 2024 |website=Al Jazeera}}

Others described both physical and psychological torture.{{cite web |title=Palestinians recount abuse and torture in Israeli detention |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/20/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-denied-70-of-aid-to-north-gaza-says-un?update=2635300 |access-date=21 January 2024 |website=Al Jazeera}} Five men reported being tortured over ten hours, including being beaten and submerged in cold water.{{cite web |title=Five Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in Jenin allege torture |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/30/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israeli-forces-detain-dozens-in-un-shelter-raid?update=2660609 |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=Al Jazeera}} One man stated that Palestinian prisoners were being "tortured relentlessly".{{cite web |title=Injured Gazans Say They Were Abused In Israeli Detention |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/injured-gazans-say-they-were-abused-in-israeli-detention-02cd258f# |access-date=2 February 2024 |website=Barron's |publisher=Agence France Presse}} He stated the detainees had been starved for three days.{{cite web |title='Israeli soldiers didn't stop beating us, insulting us and swearing at us' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/1/israels-war-on-gaza-live-death-toll-in-gaza-nears-27000-66000-wounded?update=2668623 |access-date=2 February 2024 |website=Al Jazeera}} In a report by the Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, a detainee stated, "I heard the sound of detainees who are getting tortured and beaten, as they are being cursed on by soldiers".{{cite web |title=Palestinians are being tortured in Israeli prisons: Commission |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-rafah-bombing-intensifies-despite-un-truce-call?update=2802500 |access-date=30 March 2024 |website=Al Jazeera}}

In November 2023, Amnesty International reported on cases of torture and degrading treatment by Israeli authorities, which it described as "horrifying", "gruesome", and "a particularly chilling public display of torture and humiliation of Palestinian detainees." Amnesty's Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, stated, "Arbitrary detention and torture and other ill-treatment are war crimes when committed against protected persons in an occupied territory."{{Cite web |date=2023-11-22 |title=Israel/ OPT: Deal to release hostages and prisoners must pave way for further releases and a sustained ceasefire |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/11/israel-opt-deal-to-release-hostages-and-prisoners-must-pave-way-for-further-releases-and-a-sustained-ceasefire/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}} In July 2024, Amnesty interviewed 27 released detainees, who stated they had been subjected to torture on at least one occasion while in Israeli prison.{{cite web |title=Israel must end mass incommunicado detention and torture of Palestinians from Gaza |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/israel-must-end-mass-incommunicado-detention-and-torture-of-palestinians-from-gaza/#:~:text=Torture%20and%20other%20ill%2Dtreatment,-The%20extensive%20periods&text=The%2027%20released%20detainees%2C%20interviewed,one%20occasion%20during%20their%20arrest. |website=Amnesty International |access-date=28 July 2024}}

The United Nations Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territories called for an investigation into allegations of torture.{{Cite news |date=2023-12-01 |title=UN rights office 'seriously concerned' about Israel's increased arrest of Palestinians |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-rights-office-seriously-concerned-about-israels-increased-arrest-palestinians-2023-12-01/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202024840/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-rights-office-seriously-concerned-about-israels-increased-arrest-palestinians-2023-12-01/ |archive-date=2023-12-02}} In a statement, the Office said: "The massive rise in number of Palestinians arrested and detained, the number of reports of ill-treatment and humiliation suffered by those in custody, and the reported failure to adhere to basic due process raise serious questions about Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law." On 19 January 2024, the Human Rights Office stated they had interviewed detainees who "described being beaten, humiliated, subjected to ill-treatment, and to what may amount to torture... consistent with reports our Office has been gathering of the detention of Palestinians on a broad scale."{{cite web |title=UN official describes meeting released Palestinian detainees on Gaza trip |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/19/israels-war-on-gaza-live-us-support-for-israel-ironclad-despite-rebuff?update=2634797 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=20 January 2024}} On 19 January 2024, Ajith Sunghay, a Human Rights Office official stated, "There are reports of men who are subsequently released but only in diapers without any adequate clothing in this cold weather."{{cite web |title=UN official says Gaza detainees ill-treated and humiliated |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/19/israels-war-on-gaza-live-us-support-for-israel-ironclad-despite-rebuff?update=2633467 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=20 January 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Abdulrahim |first1=Raja |title=Stripped, Beaten or Vanished: Israel's Treatment of Gaza Detainees Raises Alarm |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/23/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-palestinian-detainees.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=m-cb |website=The New York Times |access-date=31 January 2024}}

In March 2024, a UNRWA report reported instances of torture documented in Israeli prisons, including beatings and sexual assault.{{cite web |last1=Borger |first1=Julian |title=Palestinians 'beaten and sexually assaulted' at Israeli detention centres, UN report claims |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/05/gazan-detainees-beaten-and-sexually-assaulted-at-israeli-detention-centres-un-report-claims |website=The Guardian |access-date=18 March 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Speakman Cordall |first1=Simon |last2=Pedrosa |first2=Veronica |title=Not just the UNRWA report: Countless accounts of Israeli torture in Gaza |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/13/after-the-unrwa-report-more-accounts-of-israels-torture-in-gaza |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=16 March 2024}} Some UNRWA employees reported being tortured to extract forced confessions.{{cite web |title=UN Agency For Palestinians Says Israel Authorities Tortured Detained Staff |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/un-agency-for-palestinians-says-israel-authorities-tortured-detained-staff-e55739f8 |website=Barron's |publisher=Agence France Presse |access-date=6 March 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Diamond |first1=Jeremy |title=UN agency accuses Israel of detaining, coercing staffers into false confessions about ties to Hamas |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/04/middleeast/un-israel-confessions-allegations-intl/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=6 March 2024}} In an April 2024 report, UNRWA stated, "Male victims reported beatings to their genitals, while one detainee reported being made to sit on an electrical probe."{{cite web |title=Detention and alleged ill-treatment of detainees from Gaza during Israel-Hamas War |url=https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/summary_on_detention_and_alleged_ill-treatmentupdated.pdf |website=UNRWA |publisher=United Nations |access-date=18 April 2024}} In a July 2024 report, the UN stated that Israel had used dogs and waterboarding on Gazan detainees, and that at least 53 died.{{Cite web |date=1 August 2024 |title=UN report: Palestinian detainees held arbitrarily and secretly, subjected to torture and mistreatment |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/07/un-report-palestinian-detainees-held-arbitrarily-and-secretly-subjected |website=OHCHR}}{{cite web |last1=Keaten |first1=Jamey |title=UN report says Palestinians detained by Israeli authorities since Oct. 7 faced torture, mistreatment |url=https://apnews.com/article/un-israel-palestinians-detainees-torture-mistreatment-icc-db4555b8ba44e23d445550b10f4c35ff?taid=66a9d88c9dd5cd00015300a8&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter |website=Associated Press |access-date=17 August 2024}} A group of United Nations special rapporteurs stated in August 2024 that they had received substantiated reports of "widespread abuse, torture, sexual assault and rape".{{cite web |title=Israel's escalating use of torture against Palestinians in custody a preventable crime against humanity: UN experts |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/08/israels-escalating-use-torture-against-palestinians-custody-preventable |website=OHCHR |publisher=United Nations |access-date=17 August 2024}} The experts stated further that survivors reported "being attacked by dogs, waterboarding, suspension from ceilings and severe sexual and gender-based violence."{{cite web |title=Amid reports of torture inside jails, rights experts call for end to impunity |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1152831 |website=UN News |publisher=United Nations |access-date=17 August 2024}}

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) stated that there was a "lot of evidence of cases of violence and cruel and humiliating treatment by prison guards", and called for an investigation into the deaths of detainees in Israeli custody.{{cite web |title=Israeli rights group says evidence of violence against Palestinian prisoners increasing |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/1/israel-hamas-war-live-new-year-in-gaza-under-non-stop-israeli-bombardment?update=2591941 |access-date=2 January 2024 |website=Al Jazeera}} PCATI stated they had documented nine clear instances of torture, including sexual violence.{{cite web |title=Rights advocates denounce 'systemic abuse' in Israeli prisons |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240316-rights-advocates-denounce-systemic-abuse-in-israeli-prisons |website=France24 |access-date=19 March 2024}} Addameer reported that prisoners remained blindfolded and handcuffed during their detention and people were being killed in the military camps.{{cite web |title=Israel deliberately spread shocking images of blindfolded Palestinian prisoners: Lawyer |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/30/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israeli-forces-detain-dozens-in-un-shelter-raid?update=2661456 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=31 January 2024}} Addameer further reported, "Statistics and documented testimonies from child detainees indicate that the majority of detained children have been subjected to one or more forms of physical and psychological torture."{{cite web |title=Palestinian children speak of ordeals inside Israeli prisons |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/5/israels-war-on-gaza-live-biden-presses-israel-for-immediate-ceasefire?update=2820329 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=17 April 2024}} Adalah reported, "We're seeing really widespread and systemic use of many, many tools in order to inflict torture and ill-treatment on Palestinians".{{cite web |title=Rights advocates denounce 'systemic abuse' in Israeli prisons |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/mar/16/middle-east-crisis-live-aid-ship-unloads-food-in-gaza?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with:block-65f56ea78f08d86e4257df6c#block-65f56ea78f08d86e4257df6c |website=The Guardian |access-date=20 March 2024}} In July 2024, the executive director of HaMoked stated, "Violence is pervasive. It's very overcrowded. Every prisoner that we've met with has lost 30 pounds."{{cite web |last1=Morris |first1=Loveday |last2=Taha |first2=Sufian |title=Palestinians recount deadly abuse in Israeli prisons: 'It is Guantánamo' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/29/palestinian-prisoners-israel-jails-abuse/# |website=The Washington Post |access-date=19 August 2024}}

On 5 August 2024, B'Tselem released a report finding that Israeli torture of Palestinian detainees was so systemic and institutionalized that it should now be considered state policy.{{cite web |last1=Graham-Harrison |first1=Emma |last2=Taha |first2=Sufian |last3=McKernan |first3=Bethan |last4=Kierszenbaum |first4=Quique |title=Torture, abuse and humiliation: Palestinians on Israeli prison 'hell' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/05/torture-abuse-and-humiliation-palestinians-on-israeli-prison-hell?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other |website=The Guardian |access-date=17 August 2024}} In its report, B'Tselem stated that "every inmate is deliberately subjected to severe, relentless pain and suffering, operate as de-facto torture camps."{{cite web |title=Welcome to Hell |url=https://www.btselem.org/publications/202408_welcome_to_hell |page=5 |website=B'Tselem |access-date=17 August 2024}}{{cite web |title=New human rights report says Israeli prisons are 'torture camps' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/8/6/new-human-rights-report-says-israeli-prisons-are-torture |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=17 August 2024}} They further stated that prisoners were subjected to beatings, humiliation, sleep deprivation, and sexual violence.{{cite web |last1=Mackenzie |first1=James |title=Israeli rights group says Palestinian prisoners subject to systematic abuse |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-rights-group-says-palestinian-prisoners-subject-systematic-abuse-2024-08-05/ |website=Reuters |access-date=17 August 2024}} Director Yuli Novak said that Israel was running torture camps, whose conditions the organization blamed on Itamar Ben-Gvir, the minister in charge of Israel's prison system.{{cite news |last1=McKernan |first1=Bethan |last2=Graham-Harrison |first2=Emma |last3=Kierszenbaum |first3=Quique |last4=Taha |first4=Sufian |title=Palestinian prisoners describe systemic abuse in Israel's jails |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/05/palestinian-prisoners-describe-widespread-abuse-in-israels-jails |access-date=6 August 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=5 August 2024}}

On 3 January 2024, Human Rights Watch reported that Palestinian workers from Gaza detained in Israel since October 7 had been photographed naked, attacked by dogs, and dragged faced down in the gravel.{{cite web |title=Israel: Gaza Workers Held Incommunicado for Weeks |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/01/03/israel-gaza-workers-held-incommunicado-weeks |website=Human Rights Watch |date=January 3, 2024 |access-date=4 January 2024}} In August 2024, an HRW report stated that released healthcare workers from Gaza described "humiliation, beatings, forced stress positions, prolonged cuffing and blindfolding, and denial of medical care. They also reported torture, including rape and sexual abuse by Israeli forces, denial of medical care, and poor detention conditions" while in Israel detention.{{cite web |title=Israel: Palestinian Healthcare Workers Tortured |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/26/israel-palestinian-healthcare-workers-tortured |website=Human Rights Watch |access-date=9 September 2024}}{{cite web |title=Palestinian medics taken from Gaza, tortured while detained: Report |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/26/palestinian-medics-deported-from-gaza-tortured-while-detained-report |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=9 September 2024}} A surgeon detained in Israeli prison stated, "Every minute we were beaten. I mean all over the body, on sensitive areas between the legs, the chest, the back. We were kicked all over the body and the face. They used the front of their boots which had a metal tip, then their weapons."{{cite web |last1=Stroehlein |first1=Andrew |title=Israel Tortures Healthcare Workers |url=https://www.hrw.org/the-day-in-human-rights/2024/08/26?story=paragraph-9192 |website=Human Rights Watch |access-date=15 September 2024}}

In a report on allegations of torture in Israeli prisons, Euro-Med Monitor stated prisoners were being treated like animals.{{cite web |title=In Israeli army camps, Gazan detainees subjected to torture and degrading treatment |url=https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6082/In-Israeli-army-camps,-Gazan-detainees-subjected-to-torture-and-degrading-treatment |website=Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor |access-date=8 January 2024}} The Wall Street Journal found detainees underwent psychological and physical abuse, including beatings during interrogations.{{cite web |last1=AbdulKarim |first1=Fatima |last2=Rasmussen |first2=Sune Engel |last3=Peled |first3=Anat |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/palestinians-describe-beatings-stress-positions-other-alleged-abuses-in-israeli-detention-1129b86f#:~:text=Some%20described%20being%20forced%20to,only%20four%20hours%20a%20day. |title=Palestinians Describe Beatings, Stress Positions, Other Alleged Abuses in Israeli Detention |website=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=16 March 2024}} The Commission for Detainees' Affairs alleged that prisoners and detainees were subject to bans on going outside, confiscation of belongings, reduction in food, torture and beatings, and deprivation of medical attention by Israeli authorities. A Defence for Children International report included the testimony of an incarcerated child who stated, "Around 18 children were severely beaten, screaming in pain. I saw police dogs attacking them, bleeding from the mouth and head."{{cite web |title=Palestinian child detained without charge attacked by Israeli military dog |url=https://www.dci-palestine.org/palestinian_child_detained_without_charge_attacked_by_israeli_military_dog |website=Defense for Children International |access-date=14 January 2024}} An additional Defence for Children report stated that the Israeli military was "systematically detaining and torturing" Palestinian children from Gaza.{{cite web |title="They were trying to exterminate us": Palestinian children in Gaza tortured by Israeli military |url=https://www.dci-palestine.org/_they_were_trying_to_exterminate_us_palestinian_children_in_gaza_tortured_by_the_israeli_military |website=Defence for Children International |access-date=9 September 2024}}

In December 2023, the New York Times reported that Israel had interrogated medical personnel in Gaza under duress.{{cite news|title=After Meeting Biden, Hostage Families Express Confidence in U.S. Efforts|work=The New York Times |date=13 December 2023 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/13/world/israel-hamas-gaza-war-news |last1=Shear |first1=Michael D. }} Gaza's Ministry of Health similarly stated that Israeli interrogations of hospital staff were conducted "under duress".{{cite news|title=Medical staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital being 'held, interrogated', Health Ministry says|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/12/israel-hamas-war-live-palestinians-going-hungry-as-israel-pounds-gaza|quote=Those being questioned are being "held under duress" in the northern Gaza hospital's emergency unit, al-Qudra said. Among them is the head of the facility, Ahmed Kahlout.}} Following reports on the physical and psychological abuse of Marwan Barghouti, the U.S. Department of State requested Israel to "thoroughly and transparently investigate credible allegations of and ensure accountability for any abuses or violations".{{cite web |last1=Mekhennet |first1=Souad |last2=Hudson |first2=John |last3=Brown |first3=Cate |title=U.S. raises treatment of imprisoned Palestinian leader Barghouti with Israel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/27/palestinian-leader-barghouti-israel-mistreatment/ |website=The Washington Post |access-date=30 March 2024}} In a letter to Israel's attorney general, a doctor at an Israeli field hospital for detained Palestinians stated, "Inmates are fed through straws, defecate in diapers and are held [in] constant restraints, which violate medical ethics and the law."{{cite web |last1=Kent |first1=Lauren |title=Israeli doctor says detained Palestinians are undergoing 'routine' amputations for handcuff injuries |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/06/middleeast/doctor-israel-hospital-conditions-intl/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=9 April 2024}}

In May 2024, an employee of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit stated she had been subject to beatings and abusive treatment in Israeli prison.{{cite web |last1=Casey |first1=Ruairi |title=Palestinian employee of German development agency 'abused' in Israeli jail |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/3/palestinian-employee-of-german-development-agency-abused-in-israeli-jail |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=8 May 2024}} The Commission for Detainees' Affairs stated that doctors at the Ramon prison were neglecting the medical needs of Palestinian detainees.{{cite web |title=Israeli prison authorities accused of medical negligence of Palestinian detainees |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/18/israels-war-on-gaza-live-battles-in-jabalia-and-rafah-as-israel-advances?update=2908008 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=24 May 2024}} In June 2024, a Palestinian man stated he had been tortured after being held for a month with no charges.{{cite web |title=Traumatised Palestinian detainee describes torture in Israeli custody |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/6/23/traumatised-palestinian-detainee-describes-torture-in-israeli-custody |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=3 July 2024}} The same month, the family of a mentally unwell man stated he was tortured during Israeli custody.{{cite web |title=Family of critically injured man in Gaza allege torture in Israeli custody |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/6/30/family-of-critically-injured-man-in-gaza-allege-torture-in-israeli-custody#:~:text=A%20mentally%20unwell%20Palestinian%20man,that%20require%20urgent%20treatment%20abroad. |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=9 July 2024}} Save the Children released a report stating, "Children are also among those recently found in mass graves, according to UN experts, with many showing signs of torture and summary executions".{{cite web |title=Gaza's Missing Children: Over 20,000 Children Estimated to Be Lost, Disappeared, Detained, Buried Under The Rubble Or In Mass Graves |url=https://www.savethechildren.net/news/gazas-missing-children-over-20000-children-estimated-be-lost-disappeared-detained-buried-under |website=Save the Children |access-date=3 July 2024}}

In July 2024, a Palestinian man from Gaza stated he experienced "severe torture" in Israeli prison, stating, "The beatings focused on sensitive body parts. Female soldiers stomped on our heads with their metal-toed boots."{{cite web |last1=Humaid |first1=Maram |title=One Samouni brother comes home in Gaza, recalls months of Israeli torture |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/7/one-samouni-brother-comes-home-in-gaza-recalls-months-of-israeli-torture |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=10 July 2024}} The same month, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital was released from Israeli prison, stating also that Palestinian detainees experienced "almost daily torture" and abuse.{{bulletedlist|{{cite web |title=Israel frees hospital chief with prisons 'full' of Gaza captives |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/1/israel-frees-hospital-chief-from-prisons-full-of-gaza-captives |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=10 July 2024}}|{{cite web |last1=Loveluck |first1=Louisa |title=Head of Gaza's al-Shifa Hospital released after months of detention |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/01/israel-gaza-hamas-shifa-abu-salmiya/# |website=The Washington Post |access-date=10 July 2024}}|{{cite web |title=Al-Shifa Hospital director held by Israel and beaten for months, now free |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/7/1/al-shifa-hospital-director-held-by-israel-and-beaten-for-months-now-free#:~:text=The%20director%20of%20Gaza's%20al,he%20and%20other%20Palestinians%20faced. |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=10 July 2024}}}} Following his release from Israeli prison, a Palestinian detainee from Bethlehem stated, "We were unjustly detained, killed and severely beaten with iron clubs and subjected to all kinds of torture".{{cite web |title=Palestinian released from Israeli jail 'came back from the dead' |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240712-palestinian-released-from-israeli-jail-came-back-from-the-dead |website=France24 |access-date=20 July 2024}} A man detained from Gaza stated, "For 55 days, I was handcuffed, blindfolded, deprived from sleeping, no rest, even food they brought us was for animals... They dealt with us as non-humans".{{cite web |title=Israel releases 13 Palestinians after detaining them for weeks |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2024/07/17/israel-hamas-gaza-17-07-2024-palestinians/8f361cf8-4440-11ef-83d0-9eaefdc988e8_story.html?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzIxODgwMDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzIzMjYyMzk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MjE4ODAwMDAsImp0aSI6ImVjNGJiYTNlLWFhYzQtNDYxZi04YWVhLTZiNTdiOGZlY2FmMyIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9uYXRpb25hbC8yMDI0LzA3LzE3L2lzcmFlbC1oYW1hcy1nYXphLTE3LTA3LTIwMjQtcGFsZXN0aW5pYW5zLzhmMzYxY2Y4LTQ0NDAtMTFlZi04M2QwLTllYWVmZGM5ODhlOF9zdG9yeS5odG1sIn0.WNXRaqFZbn4v7ohv24W63NOIOEYmMW2DTi49PXJ0iyw |website=The Washington Post |access-date=26 July 2024}} One man stated that before interrogations, he was kept in a room where bright lights and blaring music were used all day and night, stating, "I would stay there two or three days, the music didn't stop, not even for a second. It hurt me mentally".{{cite web |last1=Northam |first1=Jackie |title=Palestinian detainees from Gaza say they are facing abuse in Israeli prisons |url=https://www.wkyufm.org/news/2024-07-23/palestinian-detainees-from-gaza-say-they-are-facing-abuse-in-israeli-prisons |website=NPR |access-date=28 July 2024}} Eight detainees released from Israeli prison in late-July stated they were tortured during their imprisonment.{{cite web |title=Palestinians released from Israeli prison show signs of torture |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/7/25/palestinians-released-from-israeli-prison-show-signs-of-torture#:~:text=Eight%20Palestinians%20freed%20from%20Israel's,released%20into%20Gaza%20on%20Thursday. |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=3 August 2024}}

A released prisoner stated, "There are people who have gone mad and urinate on themselves... They screamed. At night they used to bring dogs, pepper spray, and electrocute us. Every night. Whatever comes to your mind was done."{{cite web |title=Israeli authorities release 13 detained Palestinians, says Palestinian Red Crescent Society |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dL7Z3Uhkwo |website=YouTube |publisher=AP Archive |access-date=28 July 2024}} In August 2024, the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners and Freed Prisoners stated a 26-year-old detainee died in Israeli prison from severe torture.{{cite web |title=Prisoner from Gaza dies due to torture in Israeli prison |url=https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/01/08/2024/prisoner-from-gaza-dies-due-to-torture-in-israeli-prison |website=The Peninsula |access-date=17 August 2024}} Detainees released from Israeli prisons described worsening abuse, stating they were experiencing frequent beatings and a lack of basic rations.{{cite web |last1=Jeffery |first1=Jack |title=Released Palestinians describe worsening abuses in Israeli prisons |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-war-hamas-prisons-ba6b5b7ba9f8955ebe5fb23c77145326 |website=Associated Press |access-date=17 August 2024}} Speaking to the Commission of Detainees' Affairs, a released detainee stated, "We were stripped of our clothes, intensively beaten, tortured and assaulted. They shackled our hands and feet and blindfolded our eyes. We were turned into prey to these monsters, who enjoyed our hunger, thirst, screams and illnesses".{{cite web |last1=Schrader |first1=Adam |title=Palestinian captives detail torture by dogs, tear gas in Israeli prison |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2024/08/04/palestine-captives-detail-torture-dogs-israeli-prison/4021722796320/ |website=UPI |access-date=17 August 2024}} In September 2024, +972 Magazine reported the spread of scabies among prisoners, with a dermatologist stating that "scabies can be effectively treated, but containing the outbreak requires sanitary living conditions. The failure of the IPS to do so suggests that the spread of the disease among prisoners has become, in effect, a part of their punishment".{{cite web |last1=Sajrawi |first1=Vera |title=In Israel's prisons, skin diseases are a method of punishment |url=https://www.972mag.com/israel-prisons-scabies/ |website=+972 Magazine |access-date=5 November 2024}}

In March 2025, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, a non-governmental organization that advocates for the rights and welfare of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, reported that a 17-year-old teenager named Walid Khaled Abdullah Ahmad died in Megiddo prison due to unknown circumstances while under Israeli custody. Ahmad was originally detained by Israeli forces on 30 September 2024, from the town of Silwad.{{cite web|title= 17-year-old Palestinian child dies in Israeli prison in unclear circumstances|url= https://www.dci-palestine.org/17_year_old_palestinian_child_dies_in_israeli_prison_in_unclear_circumstances|website=Defense for Children International Palestine|date=24 March 2025}}{{cite web|title= Palestinian NGO says teen dies in Israeli prison|url= https://www.arabnews.com/node/2594695/amp|website=Arab News|date=24 March 2025}}{{cite web|title= Palestinian teenager dies in Israeli detention|url= https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/palestinian-teenager-dies-in-israeli-detention-3700155|website=Yeni Şafak|date=24 March 2025}}

{{See also|Media coverage of the Gaza war#IDF}}

Videos posted to social media, appearing to show IDF troops subjecting Palestinian detainees to physical, sexual and verbal abuse. One such video was posted at around 31 October and showed a group of Palestinian men blindfolded with their hands and feet bound and mostly stripped naked being physically assaulted by uniformed IDF soldiers. The soldiers involved were reportedly being investigated by IDF officials, per a later statement. A Palestinian woman recounted that about 30 minutes after her husband was arrested by IDF troops she was sent a link to a video on social media, depicting her husband in IDF custody bound and kneeling before a soldier who can be heard yelling expletives in Arabic while kicking him in the stomach.{{Cite web |last=Patel |first=Yumna |date=2024-02-27 |title=New reports confirm months of Israeli torture, abuse, and sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners |url=https://mondoweiss.net/2024/02/new-reports-confirm-months-of-israeli-torture-abuse-and-sexual-violence-against-palestinian-prisoners/ |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=Mondoweiss |language=en-US}}

In a Telegram group created after the 7 October attacks, by the IDF Influencing Department and had over 10,500 subscribers as of December 2023, videos of Palestinians being degraded and mocked with dehumanizing language. In one video two Palestinian men are defaced to be made to look like pigs with the caption exclaiming: "Here we see the al-Qawsami brothers, who we are sure their mother (who probably conceived them with her brother) is very proud of her breathtaking two roaches."{{Cite web |last=Osman |first=Nadda |date=14 December 2023 |title=How an Israeli Telegram channel is used to incite violence against Palestinians |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-telegram-incite-violence-psychological-warfare-palestinians |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}

According to February 2024 UNRWA report, Israeli officials detained and tortured UN staff, coercing them into falsely stating that agency staff had participated in the 7 October attack.{{cite web |title=UNRWA: Israel forced staff to falsely admit role in October 7 attacks |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/8/israels-war-on-gaza-live-60000-pregnant-women-face-malnutrition-in-gaza?update=2759153 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=10 March 2024}}{{cite web |title=UN Agency For Palestinians Says Israel Authorities Tortured Detained Staff |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/un-agency-for-palestinians-says-israel-authorities-tortured-detained-staff-e55739f8 |website=Barron's |publisher=Agence France Presse |access-date=10 March 2024}} The allegations of torture came from staff who stated they were forced to make confessions under torture and ill-treatment, including "beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual abuse and threats of sexual violence against both men and women" in Israeli detention.{{cite web |last1=Diamond |first1=Jeremy |title=UN agency accuses Israel of detaining, coercing staffers into false confessions about ties to Hamas |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/04/middleeast/un-israel-confessions-allegations-intl/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=10 March 2024}} Detainees reported being stripped down to their underwear and forced completely naked.{{cite web |last1=Shotter |first1=James |last2=England |first2=Andrew |title=UN report accuses Israel of abusing Palestinian prisoners |url=https://www.ft.com/content/bee16da9-5204-4d71-beee-4556bf034fe2?shareType=nongift |website=Financial Times |access-date=18 March 2024}} The report found that UN staff were "pressured to make false statements against the Agency, including that the Agency has affiliations with Hamas and that UNRWA staff members took part in the 7 October 2023 atrocities" through beatings, waterboarding, and threats to their families.{{cite web |title=Israel coerced some agency employees to falsely admit Hamas links: UNRWA report |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/11/israels-war-on-gaza-live-ramadan-begins-with-no-end-to-israels-siege?update=2765900 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=14 March 2024}}

In a statement, the UNRWA communications director stated, "When the war comes to an end there needs to be a series of inquiries to look into all violations of human rights".{{cite web |last1=Perry |first1=Tom |last2=MacDowall |first2=Angus |last3=Mackenzie |first3=James |title=UNRWA report says Israel coerced some agency employees to falsely admit Hamas links |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/unrwa-report-says-israel-coerced-some-agency-employees-falsely-admit-hamas-links-2024-03-08/ |website=Reuters |access-date=10 March 2024}} The Israel Defense Forces stated it was investigating "complaints of inappropriate behavior".{{cite web |title=UNRWA report claims some agency employees admitted Hamas ties under Israeli coercion |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/unrwa-report-claims-some-agency-employees-admitted-hamas-ties-under-israel-coercion/ |website=Times of Israel |access-date=10 March 2024}}

In response to the report, the World Organisation Against Torture condemned Israel, stating, "Both torture and the use of any such information violates the UN Convention Against Torture".{{cite web |title=Campaign group slams alleged Israeli torture of UNRWA staff |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/10/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-is-restricting-lifesaving-aid-unrwa?update=2761605 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=13 March 2024}}

{{see also|Sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during the Israel–Hamas war#Sexual abuse, rape, and sexualized torture of boys and men}}

{{excerpt|Sde Teiman detention camp#Abuse of detainees|subsections=yes}}

{{further|Confessions of detained Palestinians in the Gaza war}}

Numerous Palestinian detainees have reported torture during interrogations by Israeli forces, which has raised significant alarm among international human rights groups such as Amnesty International. One detainee told Amnesty that Israeli interrogators beat him severely, resulting in three broken ribs, and ordered Palestinian detainees to "praise Israel and curse Hamas". Dr. Shai Gortler, who studies incarceration and torture, stated that Shin Bet allows media exposure "to put forward its own narrative about its actions, torture included", among other reasons.{{Cite news|last=Sanchez|first=Raf|title=Inside Shin Bet's interrogation of 50 Hamas fighters|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/shin-bet-interrogation-hamas-rcna125748|access-date=2023-12-08|publisher=NBC News|date=2023-11-19}}

The Associated Press analyzed six interrogation videos released by Israel and said the militants may have been speaking under duress. In the videos, the militants appear to be bloodied and wincing in pain.{{cite news|title=UN's António Guterres calls for immediate ceasefire to end 'epic suffering' in Gaza|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/24/un-calls-for-immediate-ceasefire-to-end-epic-suffering-in-gaza|work=The Guardian}} Likewise, on 29 October, an article in Global News said some of the confession videos of Hamas militants could have been produced under duress.{{cite news|title=Thousands break into U.N. aid warehouses in Gaza as Israel presses ground offensive|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10056761/gaza-aid-warehouse-israel-ground-offensive/|website=Global News|publisher=CBC|date=29 October 2023|last=Shurafa|first=Wafaa}} AP additionally found that a confession video Israel released showed the captured militant was speaking "clearly under duress".{{cite news|title=Is Hamas hiding in Gaza's main hospital? Israel's claim is now a focal point in a dayslong stalemate|url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-shifa-hospital-ce8fda9821a011a6cb6e4a3df5c90916|publisher=Associated Press|date=14 November 2023|last=Federman|first=Josef}}

Public Committee Against Torture in Israel stated Shin Bet uses extreme heat and cold, sleep deprivation and stress positions during interrogations. In an analysis, NBC News stated that in one of the confession videos, the militant had blood on his shirt and bruises on his face, which Israel stated came from capture in combat. In November 2023, a Palestinian man (accused by Israel to be a militant) was released as part of the prisoner exchange and said he was repeatedly asked by Israeli soldiers to make confessions with "a gun to his face".{{cite news|title=The Palestinian teenagers suddenly freed from jail in Hamas hostage deal|url=https://www.ft.com/content/a986d105-4e74-4609-a145-778ac341bf05|author=Mehul Srivastava|publisher=Financial Times|date=30 November 2023}}

{{main|Israeli war crimes in the Gaza war}}

{{excerpt|War crimes in the Gaza war#Abuse and humiliation of detainees}}

In November 2023, Shin Bet said they have conducted interrogations under strict legal frameworks, aiming to gather confessions and intelligence for immediate and future use. The interrogation settings, as reported, were intense, with the suspects often bound and held in improvised facilities. They cited a 1999 Israeli Supreme Court ruling that prohibited torture except for a "ticking bomb" scenario.

Following the death of Adnan al-Bursh, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Addameer, Al Mezan, and Al-Haq released a joint statement calling for "immediate and concrete action" by the international community to ensure investigative access into Israeli prisons.{{cite web |title=Calls for international oversight of Israeli prisons after doctor's killing |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/3/israels-war-on-gaza-live-unprecedented-levels-of-death-and-destruction?update=2877417 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=9 May 2024}} In May 2024, Addameer called on the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel's "systematic torture" of Palestinians as a war crime.{{cite web |title=Gaza prisoners endure 'barbaric treatment, systematic torture' by Israeli forces: Rights group |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/12/israels-war-on-gaza-live-major-rafah-attack-feared-after-evacuation-order?update=2895882 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=18 May 2024}} Basil Farraj, a professor at Birzeit University, stated, "We are now talking about an intensification of the torture practices, including systematic medical negligence and systematic starvation."{{cite web |title=No accountability expected even after reports on Israeli torture practices |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/11/israels-war-on-gaza-live-battles-rage-in-rafah-as-tanks-troops-advance?update=2893846 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=17 May 2024}} Alice Jill Edwards, the UN special rapporteur on torture, called on Israel to allow "access to international human rights and humanitarian observers".{{cite web |title=UN Expert Urges Probe Of Alleged Torture Of Palestinian Prisoners |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/un-expert-urges-probe-of-alleged-torture-of-palestinian-prisoners-69ea6a3e |website=Barron's |publisher=Agence France Presse |access-date=1 June 2024}} Former Guantanamo Bay detainees compared images they were seeing from Israel to their experiences in Guantanamo.{{cite web |last1=Bin Javaid |first1=Osama |title='Happening again': Guantanamo victims say Israel using 'US-style' torture |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/22/happening-again-guantanamo-victims-say-israel-using-us-style-torture |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=2 July 2024}} An attorney who visited the Sde Teiman detention center in June 2024 stated, "The situation there is more horrific than anything we've heard about Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo."{{cite web |last1=Zoubi |first1=Baker |title='More horrific than Abu Ghraib': Lawyer recounts visit to Israeli detention center |url=https://www.972mag.com/sde-teiman-prisoners-lawyer-mahajneh/ |website=+972 Magazine |access-date=4 July 2024}} In July 2024, the UN human rights office stated the abuse and torture of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons was "unacceptable" and called for an independent investigation.{{cite web |title=UN Slams 'Unacceptable' Treatment Of Palestinian Detainees |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/un-slams-unacceptable-treatment-of-palestinian-detainees-d0ee1f1e |website=Barron's |publisher=Agence France Presse |access-date=13 July 2024}}

• Mass detentions in the Gaza war
• Sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during the Israel–Hamas war
• Torture during the Algerian War

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/countries/opt/20240731-Thematic-report-Detention-context-Gaza-hostilities.pdf Detention in the context of the escalation of hostilities in Gaza (October 2023-June 2024)] (31 July 2024), per the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

{{Gaza war|state=collapsed}}

{{Torture}}

{{portalbar|Israel|Palestine}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torture during the Gaza war}}

Category:Torture in Israel

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Category:Israeli war crimes in the Israel–Hamas war

Category:Sexual violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Category:Racism in Israel

Category:War crimes in the Israel–Hamas war