UN Expert: “Israeli” Torture of Palestinian Detainees Supported by Mounting Evidence

By Staff, Agencies

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, warned that emerging evidence strongly indicates Palestinian detainees from Gaza have been subjected to torture by the “Israeli” entity since February 2024.

In a statement posted on X, Albanese said the entity continues to evade accountability for grave violations against prisoners.

Her remarks followed an exclusive investigation by The Guardian, which exposed the harrowing conditions inside the underground “Rakefet” prison. According to the report, dozens of Palestinians are being held in complete darkness, denied sunlight, deprived of sufficient food, and cut off entirely from family and the outside world.

These revelations are based on testimonies gathered by lawyers from the Public Committee Against Torture in “Israel” [PCATI], who were permitted to visit the subterranean site and speak with two civilian detainees. The report stresses that many prisoners are non-combatants, yet their detention is routinely extended through brief video hearings conducted without legal counsel. Courts have justified these extensions with the phrase “until the end of the war.”

Accounts of torture align with previous testimonies from Palestinians released in recent months. Approximately 2,000 prisoners were freed as part of a January 19 ceasefire agreement, which also secured the release of 33 “Israeli” captives and five Thai nationals after 15 months of war.

Among the released was Ibrahim Al Shawish, a 45-year-old teacher from Beit Hanoun, who described to The National the brutality he endured after being arrested in December 2023. Stripped naked in freezing temperatures, dragged across broken glass and denied medical treatment, Al Shawish said he suffered deep wounds that became infected, leaving him in agony for weeks.

Further concerns have emerged regarding the treatment of deceased Palestinians. Renowned British-Palestinian surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah reported seeing photographs of bodies returned to Gaza showing surgically removed organs — including lungs, hearts, kidneys and livers — extracted with professional precision.

His findings echo statements by Gaza Government Media Office director Ismail al-Thawabta, who said the entity has stolen organs from numerous victims and demanded an urgent international investigation. Al-Thawabta noted that many bodies were also missing eyes, limbs and other vital parts.

Since the “Israeli” entity launched its genocidal assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, nearly 69,179 Palestinians have been martyred and around 171,000 wounded — the majority women and children.

The onslaught has displaced most of the strip’s 2.3 million residents, pushed the population into famine conditions, and produced a level of devastation increasingly recognized as genocidal in intent and scale.