Hamas Condemns The Murder And Torture Of Palestinians In Israeli Prisons

The repatriation of Palestinian prisoners in the first phase of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire. (Source: WAFA)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday denounced what it called the killing and systematic torture of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody, urging the international community to step in to stop the breach.

Citing human rights data, Hamas said 94 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli prisons since the start of Israel's genocide war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

"This reflects an organized criminal approach that has turned these prisons into a place of direct slaughter to eliminate our people," Hamas said in a statement on the Telegram channel.

Palestinian prisoners were subjected to inhumane abuses, "including severe beatings, boiling water, dog attacks, and sexual violence," as evidenced by direct testimony and credible human rights reports, Hamas said.

They denounced the Israeli practices as "full war crimes under international humanitarian law that reveal the brutal nature of the occupation regime (Israel)."

Furthermore, Hamas urged the international community, the United Nations and human rights organizations to take immediate action to pressure Israel to stop crimes against detainees and guarantee their rights as upheld by all international agreements and norms.

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently being held in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights groups.

According to reports submitted by Israeli human rights organizations to the UN Anti-Terrorism Committee, Palestinian prisoners were subjected to severe torture, including rape with multiple objects, physical attack with sticks, boiling water, dog attacks, exposure to extreme cold temperatures, lack of sleep and food, and refusal to medical care.

At least 94 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli custody since October 2023, according to the report.

Separately, Israel denies systematic violations, a claim rejected by human rights groups urging international interventions urging to stop what it calls a "systematic crime" against prisoners.

Since October 2023, violations of Palestinian prisoners have increased as the deaths of nearly 70,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, by the Israeli army, and 171,000 others injured in the brutal war that has devastated most of the enclave.