UN watchdog urges Israel to investigate 'torture' claims in Gaza

On Friday (Nov 28), UN committee urged Israel to investigate claims of torture of Palestinians. The committee warned the situation had "gravely intensified" since the start of the war in October 2023. “It expressed its concern over the disproportionate nature of Israel’s response to these attacks, which resulted in a massive loss of life and profound suffering for the Palestinian people. The Committee expressed concern over reports indicating a de facto State policy of organised and widespread torture and ill-treatment which had gravely intensified since 7 October 2023,” UN mentioned in its statement.

The committee, whose 10 independent experts monitor how countries implement an international convention against torture, stressed that it “unequivocally condemned the attack perpetrated by Hamas and other groups on October 7, 2023 against Israel”.

Israel should also "prosecute those responsible, including superior officers, and ensure the immediate entry of necessary humanitarian aid and aid workers into Gaza", the committee members said.

UN Committee against Torture:

• The committee unequivocally condemned the attack perpetrated by Hamas and other groups on 7 October 2023 against Israel and acknowledged the security threat faced by the State party.
• The committee also expressed its concern that the policies put in place by the State party amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading circumstances of life for the Palestinian population.
• The Committee recommended that Israel consider establishing an independent, ad hoc investigatory commission to review and investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment committed during the course of the current armed conflict, and to facilitate the immediate entry of all necessary humanitarian aid and aid workers to Gaza. Other matters of concern for the Committee included settler violence and the use of administrative detention.

(With agency inputs)