On Friday, a United Nations human rights officer accused Israel of mistreating Palestinian detainees in Gaza, claiming he had met Palestinians who had been imprisoned for weeks, tortured, blindfolded, and released in diapers.
Ajith Sunghay, a UN human rights official in Gaza, told reporters that it was unclear how many men had been imprisoned by Israel since it launched its military assault in Gaza in response to Hamas’ fatal strikes on October 7 but that the figure was in the thousands.
Thousands Reportedly Detained
“These are men who were detained by the Israeli security forces in unknown locations for between 30 to 55 days,” Sunghay told reporters in Geneva by video link from Gaza.
He stated that he had just met liberated inmates in the beleaguered enclave. “There are reports of men who are subsequently released, but only in diapers without any adequate clothing in this cold weather,” he said.
However, officials from both military and government spokespeople could not be reached immediately for comment. The Israeli military spokesperson’s office has previously stated that its forces are carrying out operations “to destroy Hamas’ armed capabilities” and release captive hostages abducted by the Palestinian militant group.
According to the office, detainees were treated in accordance with international law, and they were frequently requested to hand over clothing to check they were not carrying weapons or explosives.
Lack of Official Comment
When asked why some of the released detainees wore diapers, Sunghay explained: “So we’re not exactly sure why they were put in diapers and sent out, but they were clearly visibly shocked and even shaken when I met them.”
In December, Israeli television released pictures of Palestinian males stripping down to their underpants in Gaza. Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim officials condemned the photographs, which circulated on social media.
At the time, Israeli government spokeswoman Eylon Levy stated that the photographs revealed: “military-age men who were discovered in areas that civilians were supposed to have evacuated weeks ago.”