Israel before the UN: Intense questioning over the torture of Palestinians
Israel has faced an intensive interrogation before the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva, following an increasing number of international reports accusing it of practicing torture and mistreatment against Palestinian detainees, particularly since the October 7, 2023, attack launched by Hamas.
The questioning sessions, held on Tuesday and Wednesday, were part of the periodic review of Israel’s human rights record before the committee, which consists of ten independent experts monitoring states’ compliance with the Convention Against Torture.
Systematic practices
Committee rapporteur Peter Vedel Kessing stated that the UN was “deeply alarmed by the scale of the violations documented in numerous reports from different sources,” noting that torture in Israeli prisons and detention centers “appears to have become a deliberate and widespread tool of state policy, applied from arrest to interrogation and imprisonment.”
Kessing added that torture and abuse had reached “unprecedented levels” since October 2023, being carried out without oversight or punishment. He explained that these violations were documented by UN bodies as well as by Israeli, Palestinian, and international organizations.
Forms of torture and abuse
According to the committee’s findings, the documented practices included:
- severe beatings, including to sensitive body parts;
- use of electric shocks;
- forcing detainees into painful stress positions for long hours;
- deprivation of food, water, and sleep;
- sexual humiliation and threats of rape.
Kessing emphasized that many Palestinian detainees later released “were subjected to severe torture and inhumane treatment,” adding that children and vulnerable groups were not spared.
Previous UN report
In July 2024, the UN Human Rights Office released a report indicating that Palestinians arrested by Israel during the Gaza war “were often held in secret detention, with some subjected to treatment amounting to torture.”
Similar allegations were also made against Hamas regarding its treatment of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
Israeli response: “Misleading” accusations
Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, rejected the accusations, calling them “misinformation,” particularly those made by the UN Commission of Inquiry and Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
Meron stated that Israel “remains committed to its moral values and international law, even in the face of a terrorist organization,” asserting that his government “fulfills its legal obligations in line with the prevailing security challenges.”
However, rapporteur Kessing replied that “violations by one party do not justify those of the other,” emphasizing that the committee was also examining “allegations of torture and war crimes committed by Hamas,” which would be discussed later with representatives of the State of Palestine.
Next steps
The 83rd session of the Committee Against Torture will continue until November 28, when the committee will issue its final conclusions and recommendations on Israel.
These are expected to include calls for ending arbitrary detention, ensuring transparency in detention facilities, and holding those responsible for violations accountable — at a time when international pressure is growing for an independent investigation into the conditions of Palestinian detainees during the war in Gaza.
