Gaza medics reveal abuse after Israeli hospital raid: Report

GAZA STRIP

Palestinian medical personnel in the war-torn Gaza Strip have been subjected to severe maltreatment, including being blindfolded, stripped and repeatedly beaten, after an Israeli raid at a hospital last month, a BBC report said on March 12.

With several medical staff reporting the Israeli abuse to the BBC, Ahmed Abu Sabha, a doctor at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, recounted being held for a week, enduring attacks including being bitten by muzzled dogs and having his hand broken by an Israeli soldier.

Similar accounts were shared by two other medics who preferred to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation.

The report noted that medical staff described being humiliated, beaten and subjected to other forms of abuse during their detention. Upon being provided with details of these allegations, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not directly address them but stated that medical staff were not harmed during their operation.

They said that "any abuse of detainees is contrary to IDF orders and is therefore strictly prohibited,” according to the report.

Israel’s army on Feb. 15 raided the hospital in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis, which was one of the few in the strip still functioning, saying intelligence indicated that the hospital housed Hamas operatives.

Footage captured covertly within the hospital on the day the medical staff were detained was shared with the BBC. The footage depicts a line of men stripped down to their underwear outside the hospital's emergency building, kneeling with hands behind their heads. Some of them had medical robes in front of them.

Dr. Atef Al-Hout, the hospital's general manager, informed the BBC that anyone who attempted to move or make any gestures was subjected to physical violence. He stated that they were left in this humiliating position for approximately two hours.

The Israeli military responded to the BBC's inquiry, stating that during the arrest procedure, it is customary for suspects to surrender their clothing for search purposes, ensuring they are not concealing any dangerous items.

It further asserted that detainees' clothes are withheld temporarily due to concerns that they may contain concealed weapons or other hostile materials, such as knives, noting that clothing is returned to detainees when deemed appropriate, the report said.

Earlier this month, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) also said that Gazans detained by Israeli forces are coming back "completely traumatized" upon release and reporting abuses while in captivity.

Detainees reported being subjected to a "broad range of ill-treatment," including threats of electrocution, being photographed naked, sleep deprivation, and having dogs used to intimidate them, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said at a media briefing.