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Report: Gaza Doctors Tortured in Israeli Detention
Above: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in Dublin, Ireland, on Jan. 11, 2025, to demand the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who was arrested by the Israeli army at his hospital in northern Gaza. Image copyright: Huzeyfe Tastan/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Facts
The Guardian released a report on Tuesday alleging that Israeli forces tortured doctors from Gaza who were detained during the war. Doctors who were detained and later released reported being beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that 297 doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other medical personnel were detained throughout the war, with at least 160 still inside Israeli prison facilities. Eight of Gaza’s most senior doctors reported torture, beatings, starvation, and humiliation during their detention.
Two of Gaza's most senior doctors have reportedly died in Israeli detention. Reports of torture in Israeli detention — as well as in the case of Israelis detained by Hamas — have been common throughout the war in Gaza, with allegations of abuse in Israeli detention facilities such as Sde Teiman and Ofer.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Though Hamas, of course, is guilty of many crimes, Israel must do more to prevent the abuse of detainees in its prisons. There is enough evidence to suggest that torture and abuse have occurred in Israeli detention facilities, and investigations into this matter must continue. Israel, a liberal democracy, must work to follow international laws and protocols.
Pro-Israel narrative
Israel has been open about the fact that it will no longer treat terrorists with leniency while they are in Israeli detention. Indeed, many of those who have reported being abused by Israeli forces are connected to Hamas and are parroting its propaganda, as such accusations are deployed to distract from Hamas' crimes. Furthermore, unlike its enemies, Israel is a liberal democracy and has opened investigations into allegations of abuse.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israel's torture and abuse of Palestinian detainees has been documented for decades, with such practices only becoming more brutal and barbaric after Oct. 7. The systematic nature of these violations indicates that such policies are part of Israel's wider genocidal goals. Likewise, Israel has detained thousands of women and children in Gaza, many facing abuse in captivity, to use as leverage in negotiations.