Israeli forces have arbitrarily arrested Palestinian health workers in Gaza since the war with Hamas began, Human Rights Watch alleges today.
Short version
- Human Rights Watch reported that Israeli forces have detained Palestinian health workers in Gaza since last October.
The summary is created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and quality guaranteed by Aftenposten journalists.
The health workers are said to have been deported to detention facilities in Israel. They are alleged to have been tortured and ill-treated there.
– Human Rights Watch says the imprisonment of health workers and repeated attacks on hospitals in Gaza by the Israeli military have led to a catastrophic deterioration in the health care system.
Between March and June this year, the organization interviewed eight Palestinian health workers. The Israeli military seized these homes from Gaza between November and December. They were held for between seven days and five months.
Six health workers were arrested while working after the Israeli blockade of hospitals. Some were arrested in connection with hospital evacuations that, according to the health workers, were coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces. The health workers say they were not informed of the reason for their arrest and were not charged with a crime.
– Must stop immediately
Human Rights Watch also spoke with seven people who saw Israeli soldiers arrest health workers who were performing their duties.
– Balqees Jarrah says the Israeli government's mistreatment of Palestinian health workers has continued in secret and must stop immediately.
She is acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
– Torture and other ill-treatment of doctors, nurses and paramedics must be thoroughly investigated and appropriately punished, including by the International Criminal Court.
According to Human Rights Watch, they sent a letter to the Israeli military and the Israel Prison Service with their preliminary findings on August 13. But they received no response.
The organization also says that the long-term arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of health workers has exacerbated the health crisis in Gaza.
This report comes a few days after the report “Welcome to luck» which Aftenposten recently wrote about. The latest report is published by B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization.
They examined the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention camps after October 7. They interviewed 55 recently released prisoners. The stories they tell show a pattern:
Starvation. Serious violence, physical and psychological. Abuse. Lack of sleep. Sexual violence.
He was sent to the military base.
All the health workers interviewed gave similar accounts of ill-treatment in Israeli prisons. After being in Gaza, they were transferred to detention centers in Israel, including the Sde Teiman military base in the Negev desert and Ashkelon prison.
Others were forcibly transferred to the Anatot military base near East Jerusalem and the Ofer detention center.
They all said they were stripped, beaten, blindfolded and handcuffed. For most, it lasted for weeks. They were said to have been pressured to confess to being members of Hamas, with threats of indefinite detention, rape and the killing of their families in Gaza.
One surgeon said he was wearing a hospital gown and Crocs when he was arrested by Israeli forces during the siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia in December.
– We were 50 health workers, including nurses and doctors. The soldiers used a microphone to order men and boys over 15 to evacuate the hospital. When they took us out of the hospital, they told us to take off our clothes and keep our underwear, the doctor said.
– 310 arrested
An ambulance worker said he was denied medical treatment for broken ribs caused by the beating.
– I helped people as a paramedic, I never expected anything like this.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that Israeli forces have arrested at least 310 Palestinian health workers since October 7.
The Health Workers Watch Palestine, a non-governmental organization, documented 259 cases of health care workers being detained. They recorded 31 cases describing torture and other abuses by Israeli forces. Among other things, there is talk of lack of adequate food and water, threats of sexual violence and rape, and degrading treatment.
Health Care Workers Monitor-Palestine assisted Human Rights Watch in interviewing released health care workers.
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