GENEVA, Switzerland: A UN rights expert on Thursday called on Israeli authorities to investigate allegations of torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees since Hamas attacks on October 7 sparked the Gaza war.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, said she had received allegations of abuse of Palestinians held in prisons run by the Israeli Prison Service and in Israeli military camps.
She pointed to estimates that thousands of Palestinians, including children, have been detained since the war began.
Edwards told media that she had been conducting a “thorough review over the last two months” based on multiple sources, but that her investigation was continuing.
In a statement, she described receiving allegations of inmates being beaten, kept in cells blindfolded and handcuffed for long periods of time, deprived of sleep, and threatened with physical and sexual violence.
There were also reports suggesting that prisoners were subjected to degrading treatment, including being photographed and filmed in humiliating poses, she said.
Edwards, who is an independent rights expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but who does not speak for the United Nations, said he did not have enough information to determine whether the alleged abuses may be systemic.
She said she had brought the issue to the attention of Israeli authorities and asked them to investigate and allow “access to international human rights and humanitarian monitors” and to herself.
“It is very important that there are independent inspections,” she said, expressing concern about the “emerging pattern of violations.”
It called on Israeli authorities to “investigate all complaints and reports of torture or ill-treatment promptly, impartially, effectively and transparently.”
Edwards also insisted that those responsible for the crimes at all levels “must be held accountable”.
Edwards previously issued a statement demanding accountability for a number of alleged crimes committed during the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, including killings, hostage-taking, torture and sexual violence.
