They wanted to humiliate us': Palestinian women allege abuse in Israeli custody
https://www.euronews.com/2024/03/02...ces-us-airdrops-food-into-gaza-aid-convoy-blo
Nabela thought the United Nations school in Gaza City was a safe haven. Then, the Israeli army arrived.
Soldiers stormed the place, ordering men to undress and hauling women to a mosque for strip searches, she said. So began six weeks in Israeli custody that the Palestinian woman says included repeated beatings and interrogations.
“The soldiers were very harsh, they beat us and screamed at us in Hebrew,” said the 39-year-old from Gaza City, who spoke on condition that her last name not be used for fear of arrest. “If we raised our heads or uttered any words, they beat us on the head.”
One woman detained from Gaza, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told the AP news agency that before she was moved to Israel's Damon Prison, Israeli forces ordered her to kiss an Israeli flag. When she refused, a soldier grabbed her by the hair, smashing her face into a wall, she said.
Another woman, whose name was redacted, said she was urinated on by guards at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel. She also witnessed strip searches where guards forced naked detainees to stand close to each other and inserted search devices into their buttocks.
It's not known how many women or minors have been detained by Israeli forces, though male detainees have also alleged widespread physical abuse.
Rights groups say Israel is “disappearing” Palestinians - detaining them without charge or trial and not disclosing to family or lawyers where they’re held.
Israel’s prison service says all “basic rights required are fully applied by professionally trained prison guards.”
Its military said it makes detainees undress to search for explosives, bringing detainees into Israel before releasing them back into Gaza if they're deemed innocent.