Israel holds bodies of 1500 Palestinians hostage amid allegations of torture
Violations against Palestinians in Israeli prisons such as violence, torture and medical neglect increased after October 7, Gaza, November 21, 2023 (AA Photo)
Approximately 1,500 Palestinian bodies have been held at the Sde Teman Detention Center in the Negev Desert since Oct. 7 amid allegations of torture and mistreatment.
A ministry official and a military source shared information with Haaretz newspaper.
The ministry official stated that during the initial months of the Gaza attacks, bodies with apparent Arab features but unidentified identities were discovered.
The official mentioned the relatives had not reached out to the police regarding these bodies, and around 1,500 bodies believed to belong to Hamas members were being held at Sde Teman.
The report also included comments from an Israeli soldier involved in handling the bodies, who wished to remain anonymous.
The soldier explained the bodies were kept in refrigerators and categorized by numbers rather than names.
The condition of the bodies was described as deteriorating, with some beginning to decompose and others missing limbs.
The report suggested that most of the unidentified bodies at Sde Teman were likely from elite Hamas units or Gazans who crossed into Israeli settlements on October 7.
Following the Oct. 7 attack, the bodies were not sent to the Shura Base or the Forensic Medicine Institute for identification, according to the report.
An army statement quoted in the report mentioned that the bodies of Palestinians have been at Sde Teman since October 7, and any decisions about their return are up to the government.
On Oct. 10, an official from the Israeli military’s Media Office told an AA correspondent that at least 1,500 armed Palestinians were in settlements near the southern border of Gaza.
In May, five Israeli human rights organizations requested the immediate closure of the Sde Teman Detention Center.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel stated in the petition that there was accumulating evidence of torture, inhumane conditions and surgeries without anesthesia at the center.
A Palestinian journalist detained by the Israeli military in Gaza reported in mid-June that detainees at Sde Teman Detention Center experienced torture, beatings, mistreatment, sexual assault and rape.
