Wednesday 20 / May / 2026
Geneva: A UN human rights expert has condemned what she described as systematic torture and grave violations committed by Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinian detainees in their prisons.
Alice Jill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, said in a statement that arbitrary and emergency measures imposed by Israel since October 2023 have exposed Palestinian detainees to various forms of torture, degrading treatment and incommunicado detention. The volume and brutality of recurring testimonies show the Israeli authorities’ utter contempt for their humanitarian and legal obligations, she said.
Edwards said she had documented dozens of cases of brutal torture and physical and psychological abuse, including severe beatings, electric shocks, sleep deprivation, systematic starvation and acute malnutrition.
She expressed grave concern over the killing of at least 94 Palestinian detainees inside Israeli facilities since October 2023, without any investigation. Autopsies in many cases revealed fractured ribs, skin haemorrhages, severe internal injuries and stomach ruptures resulting from brutal torture, she said.
Edwards called for comprehensive, independent and transparent investigations to hold those responsible to account.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Club has said that Israeli forces have arrested about 23,000 Palestinians from the West Bank since October 2023, including women, children, the wounded and former detainees. The figure does not include thousands of arrests in Gaza, where the occupation continues to enforce enforced disappearance against hundreds of detainees, refusing to disclose their fate or whereabouts.
Separately, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel’s interception of ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters and the detention of participants, calling it a war crime requiring urgent international action.
The ministry said the attack on ships carrying humanitarian aid and activists from various countries was a blatant act of piracy and a grave violation of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and international humanitarian law.
The continued Israeli siege on Gaza is worsening the humanitarian crisis and undermining political efforts to end the aggression, including obstructing a full Israeli withdrawal, the ministry added.
It expressed concern over the fate of detained activists, holding Israel fully responsible for their safety amid reports of military force being used against the ships and distress calls being ignored at sea.
The ministry called on the UN and human rights organisations to take a united stand against Israeli practices, to work to break the siege on Gaza, and to secure protection for humanitarian missions.
The UN had earlier called for the safety of all activists aboard the flotilla. Late on Tuesday, Israeli authorities said 430 activists on board the aid flotilla were on their way to Israel after their ships were intercepted at sea the previous day.
