GAZA: Three Palestinian brothers arrested by Israel forces in the Gaza Strip said they and fellow prisoners were beaten, mistreated, stripped to their underwear, burnt with cigarettes and subjected to other forms of ill-treatment during their detention, Reuters reported on Friday.
Sobhi Yaseen, his brothers Ibrahim and Sady were among dozens of Palestinians sheltering in a school in Rafah in southern Gaza who spoke to Reuters news agency regarding their mistreatment at the hands of Israeli forces.
The Yaseen brothers stated they had been taken from their houses in the north of the Gaza Strip, separated from their families and held for around two weeks at unknown sites including an army barracks or camp.
Gazans Say They were Mistreated, Beaten in Israeli Custody
Sobhi said four persons beat him after he was not in position to climb onto a vehicle due to a leg injury sustained before his capture, and that he was then taken to another area where captors were smoking and putting out cigarettes on their backs, spraying water and sands on then, urinating on them.
His brothers Ibrahim and Sady also shared same story of mistreatment at the hands of Israeli forces.
Israel launched its brutal assault on Gaza on October 7 and over 21,000 Palestinians mostly women and children have been killed in the Israeli bombing, Health Ministry in Gaza said.
READ ALSO: Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 21,000 as Israel Continues Attacks Despite Calls for Ceasefire
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) stated on December 16 that it has received several reports of mass detentions, mistreatment and enforced disappearance of Palestinian people in northern Gaza by the Israeli army.
Global humanitarian law requires that civilian population only be arrested for imperative security causes, and torture and other mistreatment of detainees is strictly forbidden, OHCHR stated.
Sady added he was placed with other prisoners in a truck containing debris. He added that Israeli soldiers were beating them, and anyone who raised their voice following the beating was beaten once again. He added that the captors searched them, took their IDs, phones and money.
