The United Nations committee on torture says there is evidence that Israel is operating a 'de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture'.
The committee regularly reviews the records of all countries which have signed the convention against torture, taking testimony from their governments, and from human rights groups.
During Israel's review, both Israeli and Palestinian rights groups provided disturbing accounts of conditions in Israeli detention centres. It is alleged that thousands of Palestinians have been detained by Israel since the Hamas attacks of October 7th, 2023.
Under Israel's laws on administrative detention and on Unlawful Combatants – suspects who cannot be classified as prisoners of war – they can be held for long periods without access to a lawyer or family members.
Many Palestinian families report waiting months to uncover whether a loved one has been detained, which the UN committee identified as 'enforced disappearance'.
The committee expressed particular concern about the use of the Unlawful Combatants law, under which whole groups of Palestinians, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly, are detained.
Testimonies indicate that Palestinians are often deprived of food and water, subjected to severe beatings, attacked by dogs, electrocuted, waterboarded, and raped. Some are reportedly permanently shackled, denied access to toilets, and forced to wear diapers.
The committee concluded that such treatment 'amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity', stating that evidence of a 'de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture' constitutes the crime of genocide under international law.
Israel has consistently rejected charges of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
One committee member, Peter Vedel Kessing of Denmark, stated he and his colleagues were 'deeply appalled' by the evidence presented. They emphasized the need for independent investigations into these serious allegations.
Israel accused the UN of bias and described the charges as 'disinformation', asserting its commitment to moral values even amidst security challenges.
The committee's condemnation of the Hamas attack in October 2023 was paired with a reminder that violations by one party do not justify violations by another. The prohibition on torture under the convention is absolute, they stress.
The findings come at a time of rising scrutiny over Israel's human rights record, as evidenced by recent reports from the UN Human Rights Office and ongoing concerns regarding living conditions in the Gaza Strip.
