Gaza- Palestinian detainees released by the Israeli occupation authorities said that they were subjected to abuse and horrific detention conditions.
The Palestinian Crossings Authority in Gaza (affiliated with the Gaza government) said that the occupation army released 110 Palestinians on Tuesday, whom it had arrested during its war on Gaza, which began on the seventh of last October.
According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, based in Geneva, there is no accurate count of the number of detainees from Gaza yet due to Israel’s policy of enforced disappearance. However, preliminary estimates indicate that more than 3,000 arrests have been recorded, including at least 200 women and girls.
They stripped me of my clothes and tied me with iron
Ziad Eliwa, 62 years old, who was released by the occupation authorities – today, Tuesday, January 9, 2024 – narrated that he was tortured by the occupation army despite his old age.
Aliwa told Tel Aviv Tribune Net while he was in a shelter affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, that he was arrested on November 18 while crossing the checkpoint separating the northern and southern Gaza Strip.
The army had ordered residents of the northern Gaza Strip to leave for the south, and set up a checkpoint south of Gaza City, forcing displaced families to pass through it.
Aliwa added, “When I crossed the checkpoint, a soldier called me, detained me, asked me to take off all my clothes, tied my hands with iron handcuffs, and dragged me to an area full of thorns, which led to my feet being torn apart, and I am still suffering from them to this day.”
The liberated prisoner continued, “They gathered me with other detainees, and we were subjected to severe beatings and obscene insults. The more we screamed, the more the beatings increased,” indicating that the soldiers refused to allow them to relieve themselves.
Investigation and question about tunnels
After 14 days, Aliwa was transferred for interrogation with Israeli intelligence, adding, “They asked me about where I was on October 7, which witnessed the Al-Aqsa flood attack, and what I know about the Hamas movement and the “kidnapped” Israelis in Gaza.”
The investigating officer also asked Eliwa about the location of the tunnels dug by the Palestinian resistance in his area and about the people affiliated with Hamas.
He continued, “Whenever I told him, ‘I don’t know,’ they would beat us hard.”
Later, Eliwa was transferred to Negev Prison, and was placed with 14 detainees in a room with an area of about 20 square meters, with a toilet that runs to water for one hour a day. He added, “We were waiting for the water to arrive to clean the dirt from the bathroom.”
He stated that they had not changed their clothes, including underwear, at all since the day of their arrest 53 days ago. They were not allowed to shower, or provided with any type of soap or detergent.
As for food, he says, “They would prepare us only one meal a day, in the evening, which consisted of an egg, 4 small slices of bread, and a small plate of rice. There was no breakfast, and if there was breakfast, it was half a cup of yogurt.”
Cold and death in prison
After 25 days, Aliwa was transferred to tent rooms, explaining that they were cold and there were no adequate covers. He continues, “We suffered from the cold and they gave us one thin blanket, but they refused to bring additional blankets despite the cold.”
Despite his old age and suffering from wounds in his feet, Eliwa was not seen by a doctor, he says. It was revealed that one of the detainees from the “Kallab” family, who was about 75 years old, died inside the prison. He was suffering from many diseases and unable to relieve himself.
He added that the occupation abused the detainees because they shouted “God is Great” after they discovered his death, explaining that he refused to allow them to perform funeral prayers over him.
Two days before his release, Eliwa revealed that the occupation soldiers took him to an area in the Negev desert, and they were subjected to harsh abuse, as they were beaten and pushed to the ground on their faces. He added, “The soldiers brought Israeli children who insulted us, photographed us, and mocked us“.
The detainees remained in this position for about 6 full hours, without being allowed to lift their heads off the ground, explaining that the restrictions healed the old wounds on his feet and caused blood to flow from them.
In the same context, Muhammad Tashtash says that he was arrested from the Beit Lahia project area from his home, and his detention continued for about a month.
He added to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, “We were tortured and used provocative methods. We were beaten and insulted. We were stripped naked and our pictures were published on the Internet.”
Theft and provocative methods
On their return trip to Gaza, Aliwa explains that the occupation army stole their money, phones, clothes, and personal identity cards.
For his part, former detainee Hossam Odeh, from the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City, says that he was arrested on December 4, and his detention continued for 25 days.
He added to Tel Aviv Tribune Net that they were arrested from their homes, and the army told them that it would transfer them to a safe area, but it took them to prison. Pointing to the traces of the iron handcuffs that are still visible on his hands, he says, “I was subjected to severe torture, and these are some of the traces.”
Regarding the methods of torture, he says, “I was forced to remain in an uncomfortable position all day, sit on my knees, and sleep for only one hour.”
Hossam explained that the army brought them food and drink after 3 days of detention, which consisted of one meal a day: bread and cheese.