Red Crescent relief worker in Gaza claims torture by Israeli army

Several Palestinians claim to have been assaulted or even tortured during their detention by the Israeli army. Lies, according to the former military prosecutor in the occupied West Bank.

Does the Israeli army use torture? Former Palestinian detainees were arrested in Gaza, imprisoned and then released. They claim to have been assaulted, some tortured by the army of the Jewish state. Israeli NGOs, such as Physicians for Human Rights, denounce “enforced disappearances” which may be considered crimes against humanity.

Aged 24, Bahaa Abu Rukba wants to testify in his own name to give more weight to his story. “I swear to you that I feel like I spent over 20 years in prison because of torture. I don’t even know where I was… Not once have I seen the light of day“, he tells franceinfo.

This volunteer Red Crescent rescuer was arrested early in the afternoon on December 21 at the association’s headquarters in northern Gaza. He spent three weeks in detention. “We spent more than 20 hours a day on our knees. They did unimaginable things to us. They told me: ‘You are a member of Hamas’. I replied that I worked for a humanitarian organization. They did not believe me and tortured me.”

“They made me stark naked, tied hand and foot. They beat me in my private parts. I’ll spare you the details, but I suffered humiliating and degrading treatment. There was even a soldier who slapped me.”

Bahaa Abu Rukba, 24-year-old rescuer

at franceinfo

Lies, according to the former military prosecutor in the occupied West Bank, Maurice Hirsch, who claims that“Israel does not abuse its prisoners”. Since October 7, a judge can decide to keep a suspect in detention for a maximum of six months without possible contact with his relatives and without being defended by a lawyer.

“Torture is not allowed”

“Torture is not allowed, insists Maurice Hirsch. If you are a resident of Gaza and have been released by the Israeli army, you are immediately suspected of being a collaborator. Who is released? The collaborators. So what do they say to protect their backs? ‘I was beaten, I was tortured.’ There may be cases. In this respect, Israel is no different from other countries or other armies in the world.”

“Is this something we condemn? No. Is it systematic? In no case.”

Maurice Hirsch, former prosecutor in the occupied West Bank

at franceinfo

According to the Israeli army, 27 Palestinians from Gaza died in prison. For Maurice Hirsch, the majority of them were injured before or during their arrest and could not be saved.