UK Government demands investigation into alleged ‘torture’ of Palestinian medics
The British Government is seeking an “investigation and explanation” into claims that Israeli soldiers tortured and abused Palestinian medical staff.
A BBC report published on Tuesday featured testimonies from medics at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza stating that they were stripped, beaten, blindfolded, and prevented from treating vulnerable patients, who in some cases died as a result.
Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said: “These are very disturbing pictures and reports that have come out from this hospital and we need to get to the bottom of what exactly happened and we need answers from the Israelis about that.”
Foreign Office Minister Andrew Mitchell told the Commons: “We have seen these reports. I think that a full explanation and investigation is required and that is what the British Government is pressing for.”
Dr Ahmed Abu Sabha, a Nasser Hospital doctor, told the BBC that Israeli soldiers cut him with a bottle and broke his hand in detention at a maternity building repurposed as “a torture place”. Other medics said they were beaten with sticks and rifle butts. Footage obtained by the BBC appeared to show rows of semi-naked men with medical robes lined up on the ground.
A spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said suspects were often stripped to check them for weapons, and denied allegations of abuse. “Any abuse of detainees is contrary to IDF orders and is therefore strictly prohibited,” the spokesperson said.
The IDF also claimed to have recovered weapons and vehicles used by Hamas from Nasser Hospital, supporting its claim that the hospital was used as a military asset. The UN and Red Cross have called on Israel to cease attacks on hospitals in Gaza, most of which are no longer functional.
The BBC report contains the latest in a series of allegations of abuse and torture of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces during and before the war.
Israel was previously accused of “cruel and degrading treatment” of detainees, a war crime under the Geneva Convention, after images of stripped Palestinian prisoners emerged in December.
In a recent report, Israeli human rights group the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) said it had “documented dozens of incidents of severe torture yearly” and noted a “marked and severe escalation in the abuse of Palestinian detainees” since the outbreak of the latest war on 7 October.
Israeli human rights lawyer Eitay Mack, who has represented Palestinian prisoners in torture cases and uncovered abuses in Israeli-run prisoners in Lebanon, said the Israeli military must take actions over the new allegations.
“The fact that Hamas makes military use of hospitals… does not relieve Israel of its obligations according to the international convention against torture and the absolute prohibition of torture of detainees no matter who they are”, he told i. “The reaction of the IDF spokesperson is not sufficient and an investigation should be opened to check the claims in the BBC investigation.”
Ken Roth, founder of Human Rights Watch and international law expert, said Israeli measures against abuse are inadequate and called for international accountability.
“At minimum, the medical staff from Nasser Hospital describe being subject to clearly prohibited cruel inhuman and degrading treatment”, he told i. “The Israeli military says it prohibits such treatment but has imposed no known disciplinary measures for it for comparable abuse of Palestinian detainees that has come to light, suggesting that such mistreatment is official, if unacknowledged, Israeli policy.”
“This latest incident adds to the long list of Israeli [and Palestinian] conduct demanding prosecution. With the Israeli justice system effectively dysfunctional, we must look to outside actors,” Mr Roth added, calling on the International Criminal Court to take action.
The IDF was unable to supply information in response to an enquiry over whether any soldiers had faced disciplinary measures over allegations of abuse of Palestinian prisoners.
