Israeli human rights group B\u2019Tselem has collected testimonies from 55 Palestinians, including 21 from the Gaza Strip, who had been held in Israeli prisons, detailing the torture they were subjected to. The B\u2019Tselem report, titled Welcome to Hell, revealed on Tuesday that more than a dozen Israeli prison facilities have been converted into a network of camps \u201cdedicated to the abuse of inmates\u201d since the start of Israel\u2019s war on Gaza. \u201cSuch spaces, in which every inmate is intentionally condemned to severe, relentless pain and suffering, operate in fact as torture camps,\u201d it said. The violations include \u201cfrequent acts of severe, arbitrary violence; sexual assault; humiliation and degradation; deliberate starvation; forced unhygienic conditions; sleep deprivation; prohibition on, and punitive measures for, religious worship; confiscation of all communal and personal belongings; and denial of adequate medical treatment\u201d. B\u2019Tselem said at least 60 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since October 7, including about 48 people from Gaza. The report said that detainee testimonies demonstrate \u201ca systemic, institutional policy focused on the continual abuse and torture of all Palestinian prisoners\u201d. This policy, it said, is implemented under the direction of Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, with the full support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. \u201cGiven the severity of the acts, the extent to which the provisions of international law are being violated, and the fact that these violations are directed at the entire population of Palestinian prisoners daily and over time \u2013 the only possible conclusion is that in carrying out these acts, Israel is committing torture that amounts to a war crime and even a crime against humanity,\u201d the report said in its conclusion. It called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate \u201cindividuals suspected of planning, directing and committing these crimes\u201d, saying the probe was not possible inside Israel \u201csince all state systems, including the judiciary, have been mobilized in support of these torture camps\u201d. B\u2019Tselem also noted that the number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails has doubled to 9,623 since the war on Gaza began. \u201cWe appeal to all nations and to all international institutions and bodies to do everything in their power to put an immediate end to the cruelties meted out on Palestinians by Israel\u2019s prison system, and to recognize the Israeli regime operating this system as an apartheid regime that must come to an end,\u201d the group concluded. There was no immediate reaction to the report from the Israeli authorities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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