In Geneva, allegations of abuses by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinians were presented to independent U.N.-backed human rights investigators on Tuesday. These allegations involved claims of detainees being punched in the genitals, held naked for extended periods, and deprived of food during the conflict in Gaza.
The hearings were conducted by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, established by the U.N.-supported Human Rights Council, under the leadership of Navi Pillay, a former U.N. human rights chief. The findings of this commission could potentially serve as evidence for the International Criminal Court or other judicial bodies investigating war crimes and human rights violations.
Israel, however, has not cooperated with the commission, criticizing it and the Human Rights Council for holding an anti-Israel stance. After the U.S. announced its withdrawal from the council, Israel followed suit, leaving shortly after. The Israeli government continues to deny allegations of mistreatment of Palestinian detainees and emphasizes that it takes action against such offenses when reported.
Human rights organizations have highlighted reports of abuse at the Sde Teiman military detention facility. The first testimony came from a male nurse in Gaza who appeared via video. He recounted being detained in a cage, suspended like a punching bag, suffering genital injuries from beatings, and being attacked by dogs alongside other detainees.
Saeed Mohammad Abdel-Fattah Abu Al-Jidyan, aged 26, detailed his detention, which began on November 18, 2023, while he was working at Shifa Hospital. He claimed that he was stripped of his clothing and held without clothes for three days. During Israeli raids on Shifa, the hospital was accused of harboring Hamas military activities, a claim denied by hospital personnel.
Al-Jidyan also described experiencing torture during interrogations about tunnels, which he asserted ignorance of. Another witness from Gaza, sharing similar experiences at Sde Teiman and another facility, reported severe weight loss after his detention. However, the exact duration of his captivity remains ambiguous.
The witnesses’ accounts have yet to be independently verified, and the Israeli diplomatic mission in Geneva has not commented on the matter yet.
The violent conflict, sparked by a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, primarily civilians in southern Israel. Moreover, over 250 individuals were kidnapped, with numerous captives still in Gaza. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 48,500 Palestinians have died in the war, with more than half of the fatalities being women and children.
However, the commission of inquiry is not addressing allegations of sexual, gender-based, or other forms of violence against Israelis either during the October 7 attack or against hostages in Gaza. Israeli authorities have accused Hamas militants of committing widespread rape and sexual violence, claims which a U.N. envoy reported having “reasonable grounds” to believe last year.
The commission highlights its efforts to engage directly with Israeli victims but cites Israeli government “obstruction” and lack of access as challenges, according to a statement by the U.N. rights office.
The commission’s hearings are set to proceed on Wednesday, with a report expected on Thursday concerning Israel’s supposed “systematic” application of sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians following the October attacks.
Established in May 2021 after previous conflicts between Hamas and Israel, the commission has previously conducted hearings on topics like the terrorism designation for certain Palestinian NGOs and the death of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
