An Israeli detention center subjects Palestinians to abuse, tying detainees to their beds, blindfolding them and keeping them in diapers, a new CNN report claims.
The Sde Teiman camp in the Negev desert in southern Israel is also a military base. This is where abusive behavior against some of the 70 Palestinian detainees took place, three Israeli whistleblowers told CNN.
Medical staff at the facility reportedly performed amputations on prisoners due to injuries caused by prolonged handcuffs, with some procedures performed by underqualified staff.
Guards are accused of using excessive force as a form of punishment, while detainees endure routine humiliation, including being attacked by dogs and subjected to aggressive searches, CNN reported.
The Israeli Defense Forces arrested the prisoners during the ongoing invasion of Gaza, which began after Hamas militants invaded southern Israel on October 7, committing massacres and atrocities that left 1 200 dead and 230 hostages kidnapped in Gaza. Israel’s subsequent siege of Gaza killed 34,000 people, including thousands of children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
A whistleblower told CNN that the beatings “were not done to gather intelligence. They were done out of revenge. It was punishment for what they did on October 7 and punishment for their behavior in the camp.
Guards strip them of “anything that looks like human beings,” a whistleblower said.
In a field hospital, injured detainees were tied to beds, dressed in diapers, and fed through straws, CNN reported.
Palestinians arrested during Israeli army attacks on Shifa Hospital are taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for treatment after their release in Deir Al Balah, Gaza, March 24, 2024. Anadolu | Getty Images
Dr. Mohammed Al-Ran, head of the surgical unit at the Indonesian hospital in Gaza, a former prisoner of the Sde Teiman camp, told CNN: “When they took off the blindfold, I could see the extent of the humiliation and humiliation, I could see the extent of the humiliation and humiliation. to what extent they considered us not as human beings but as animals. »
The facility operates under the Unlawful Combatants Act, which grants the military broad powers to detain individuals without due process, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
The law allows the military to detain people for 45 days without an arrest warrant, after which they must be transferred to the formal Israeli prison system (IPS).
Satellite images reveal a significant expansion of Sde Teiman facilities since the start of the conflict.
Accounts of mistreatment of detainees are not unique to the Negev. In November, Business Insider’s Alia Shoaib reported on graphic videos showing IDF soldiers mistreating Palestinian detainees in the West Bank.
The videos show IDF soldiers dragging blindfolded and bound Palestinian men to the ground, many of whom are half or completely naked.
Last week, a Palestinian doctor died in an Israeli prison after more than four months in detention, Palestinian prisoner associations said, according to BBC News.
Dr. Adnan Al-Bursh, 50, was head of the orthopedic department at al-Shifa Hospital.
Israeli prison authorities said they were investigating the incident. No cause of death was given.
The UN’s position on the treatment of prisoners implies that “all prisoners must be treated with respect because of their inherent dignity and value as human beings.”
The IDF responded to the CNN report with the following statement: “The IDF ensures good conduct towards detainees in custody. Any allegations of misconduct by IDF soldiers are investigated and dealt with accordingly. In appropriate cases, MPCID (Military Police Criminal Investigation Division) investigations are initiated when there is suspicion of misconduct warranting such action.
Business Insider has contacted the Israeli government for comment.
Currently, more than 9,000 Palestinians are detained in conditions that rights groups say have deteriorated significantly since October 7.
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