The UK Foreign Office Secretary has called for an investigation into reports that medical staff in the Gaza Strip were subjected to violent and humiliating treatment in detention following an Israeli attack.
Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, which at the time served as the largest hospital in the Palestinian territories, was attacked over several days by Israeli forces in an offensive that began on February 15.
Doctors said at the time that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ground forces stormed the compound after blocking the road to the medical center and shelling the facility. The attack forced the evacuation of patients, medical workers and evacuees who had been evacuated to the hospital, and at least 13 patients died in the aftermath, mostly due to moving equipment such as ventilators. There was a lack of electricity needed for this purpose, staff said.
The Israel Defense Forces said the attack was “precise and limited” based on intelligence that Hamas militants were operating from the complex and may have been holding hostages there.
The military later announced that it had arrested about 200 suspects during the operation.according to BBC investigation Dozens of Nasser’s doctors were among them, it was announced Tuesday.
Three sources said they were subjected to cruel and humiliating treatment during their detention, including being blindfolded, forced to wear underwear and being repeatedly beaten. Dr. Ahmed Abu Sabha, 26, said he was detained for a week, during which time his dog was muzzled and his hands were broken by interrogators.
In response to questions from Cynon Valley Labor MP Bethan Winter, Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell told the House of Commons that the UK government was seeking a “full explanation and investigation”.
“When it comes to targeted operations, I agree that Israel and the Israel Defense Forces, like the UK, have lawyers embedded in their command, which should ensure acceptance and respect for international humanitarian law. ” [Winters] We need a thorough explanation,” he added.
When contacted by the BBC, the IDF would not comment on specific accounts of the abuse, but denied that medical staff had been harmed. “Any mistreatment of detainees is contrary to the order and is therefore strictly prohibited,” the statement said.
Israeli attacks on struggling hospitals in the Gaza Strip have been condemned as a violation of international humanitarian law. Israel maintains that medical facilities are legitimate targets because militants use them as hiding places and as bases from which to launch operations.
The IDF has discovered underground tunnels near hospitals in Gaza City, including Al Shifa in Gaza City, which was once the region’s largest medical center. However, journalists and human rights groups have been unable to verify claims that the medical facility was used as a hideout for a major Hamas command and control center.
Other Palestinians from Gaza have also testified of abuse in secret Israeli camps set up since the outbreak of the war. Detained without charge under Israeli legal practice That means they are not classified as prisoners of war.
An internal United Nations report earlier this month found widespread reports of abuse against Palestinian detainees, including beatings, attacks on dogs, prolonged pressure positions, and sexual assault.
According to Israel News Agency, 4,000 prisoners have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the current conflict began after an October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 Israelis and took another 250 hostages. It is estimated that more than 1,000 men, women and children were rounded up. data. More than 31,000 people have been killed in Israeli retaliatory attacks in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-controlled area’s health ministry.
At the same time, the situation in existing Israeli prisons is rapidly deteriorated Since the outbreak of the war, relatives and lawyers of detainees have been unable to speak to prisoners since October 7, and detention visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross have been suspended, on orders from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. states that it has been done.
