Palestinian health care workers who were arbitrarily captured by the Israeli military are revealing the horrifying, and in some cases deadly, abuse and torture they faced at the hands of soldiers in detention ― further deteriorating Gaza’s health care system that’s already crumbling under Israel’s nearly yearlong siege.A report published Monday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) included testimony from doctors, nurses and paramedics who said they faced humiliation, beatings, forced stress positions, prolonged cuffing, blindfolding and denial of medical care while in Israeli custody. These specific health care workers, now released, also described torture that included rape and sexual abuse by Israeli forces, and inhumane living conditions for the general prison population. Their testimonies are consistent with other credible reports about Israel’s inhumane treatment of detainees.
“The Israeli government’s mistreatment of Palestinian health care workers has continued in the shadows and needs to immediately stop,” Balkees Jarrah, HRW’s acting Middle East director, said in a statement earlier this week. “The torture and other ill-treatment of doctors, nurses and paramedics should be thoroughly investigated and appropriately punished, including by the International Criminal Court (ICC).”
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