Washington: Following a CNN story on Palestinian inmates allegedly being blindfolded, assaulted, and placed in diapers, the United States expressed alarm and demanded that Israel conduct an investigation on Monday.
Three Israeli whistleblowers at the Sde Teiman camp in the Negev desert, which houses Palestinians imprisoned or wounded during the military assault in Gaza, were reportedly spoken to by the US-based network.
One whistleblower who posted images described seeing blindfolded inmates told to sit up straight and be quiet as guards yelled at them in Arabic to “shut up.”
According to CNN, there was a medical facility inside the camp where detainees’ limbs were severed due to injuries they acquired while being handcuffed.
Responding to questions about the claims, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said to reporters, “We’re looking into these and other allegations of abuse against Palestinians in detention.”
According to him, Israel has been informed by the US that it has an “obligation to thoroughly investigate” any plausible claims of breaking international humanitarian law.
“We have consistently and clearly stated to all nations, including Israel, that they must treat all detainees with dignity, humanity, and compliance with international law, while also upholding the human rights of such individuals,” stated Patel.
According to the CNN investigation, the camp housed around 70 captives who were kept in very tight conditions. It also had a field hospital where some injured detainees were given straws and tied to beds in diapers.
An unidentified source informed CNN that the detainees were assaulted “out of revenge” for the October 7 Hamas strike on Israel, which started the conflict, rather than to get information.
The Israel Defense Forces informed CNN that although it investigates any misbehavior claims, it is not aware of any instances involving “unlawful handcuffing.”
Over 1,170 Palestinians, largely civilians, lost their lives in Hamas’s historic October 7 strike on Israel, which marked the start of the Gaza conflict, according to an AFP assessment of Israeli government numbers. In return, Israel has promised to destroy Hamas. The health ministry of the Hamas-run enclave in Gaza reports that over 35,000 individuals have died in the conflict, the majority of whom are women and children.
President Joe Biden has expressed his increasing dissatisfaction with the toll on civilians, despite the fact that the United States has been Israel’s most significant diplomatic and military partner.
Israel has most certainly breached international humanitarian standards, according to a State Department study released on Friday, but there is insufficient proof to stop US arms sales.
