Israeli NGOs detail abuses in Palestinian territories
A report published by 21 Israeli NGOs — including B’Tselem, Peace Now, Gisha, Physicians for Human Rights, Yesh Din, Rabbis for Human Rights and The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel — details the country’s abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, The New Arab and agencies reported on August 2nd.
The report examines annexation, settler violence, dispossession and famine caused by Israel, commencing with personal stories from Israeli victims of the October 7th attacks and the call for an immediate ceasefire and release of captives. It goes on to mention raids in the West Bank as well as the detention of children.
“Death, hunger and destruction committed by the Israeli military in Gaza raise heavy suspicions of war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the report read.
The statement detailed that military invasions of civilian homes would “always [occur] between midnight and 5am” and would almost always be followed up with acts of physical violence. It noted that arresting Palestinian children in the middle of the night is a flagrant violation of children’s rights according to several international conventions.
READ: ICJ says Israel’s Gaza occupation “violates international law”
“Physical and psychological torture is used regularly and with complete impunity in Israel Security Agency interrogations,” the statement also read, “despite Israel’s claims to the contrary and despite the clear ban on torture in international law.”
On July 29th, nine Israeli soldiers were arrested for the sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman prison. Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky argued in a Knesset meeting that when detainees are Hamas fighters, “everything is legitimate to do.”
The NGOs shed light on the rising death toll in the occupied West Bank and a proposed bill which seeks to prevent the provision of medical care to prisoners. It concluded by listing the attacks against NGOs who have published information on Israeli crimes as well as the labelling of Palestinian NGOs as “terror organisations.”
The report also gave recommendations as to how violations can be amended — especially through international intervention.
“We welcome the existence of international systems of justice and law and support the steps taken by them to intervene and to stop the occurrence of war crimes and crimes against humanity,” it read, “here and wherever heavy suspicions arise of such crimes being committed.”
The New Arab and agencies
