Palestinian child says was tortured when held in Israeli detention
A Palestinian child, among a large number held under administrative detention in the occupied West Bank, says Israeli forces tortured him after arresting him on the day he was scheduled to undergo surgery for a wound caused by live ammunition.
“The soldiers exploited my injury, forcing me to sit and kneel on my wounded knee for five hours. I was severely beaten if I moved due to the pain,” the 16-year-old told the Geneva-based Defense for Children International.
“The soldiers transferred me to the Gush Etzion interrogation centre and forced me once again to sit on my injured knee for six to seven hours, which caused the wound to reopen and bleed. The torture and beating did not stop during this time and I was deprived of food, water and sanitation.”
Defense for Children spoke with several children who had been tortured by Israeli soldiers and interrogators in detention. It said one in three children detained by Israel in the occupied West Bank are held without charge or trial.
1 in 3 Palestinian child detainees in the occupied West Bank are held by Israeli forces without charge or trial. We spoke to several children who survived torture at the hands of Israeli soldiers and interrogators. https://t.co/eMeNF1BDty
— Defense for Children (@DCIPalestine) August 27, 2024
For captives’ families, the only serious option ahead is a ceasefire
The Israeli army shared a video that shows the moment Qaid Farhan al-Kadi was rescued, calling it a complex operation.
However, reports suggest that he was alone and there were no captors or any other captives present, which seems to contradict the military statement and suggests he had been released or escaped.
Netanyahu was quick to call it a success.
According to the Israeli army, 33 of the remaining captives are dead. With ceasefire talks bogged down and Israel insisting on changing the structure of a deal, an immediate ceasefire seems unlikely.
So, while this release is being celebrated, for captives’ families, the only serious option ahead is a ceasefire similar to the one last November which led to 105 captives being exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
Well at least they didn't shoot the hostage, that's definitely a complex operation for the IDF.
HRW warns Israeli obstruction could cause polio to spread
The Israeli military is contributing to a potentially catastrophic polio outbreak in Gaza by obstructing aid, attacking healthcare infrastructure and damaging water supplies, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned.
The New York-based rights group called for immediate humanitarian access to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza, noting that polio is entirely preventable but also spreads quickly, particularly among young children.
“If the Israeli government continues to block urgent aid and destroy water and waste management infrastructure, it will facilitate the spread of a disease that has been nearly eradicated globally,” said Julia Bleckner, a senior health and human rights researcher at HRW.
“Israel’s partners should press the government to lift the blockade immediately and ensure unfettered humanitarian access in Gaza to enable the timely distribution of vaccines to contain the unfolding polio outbreak,” she added.
Palestinian families line up with their children to receive polio vaccines from the Palestine Red Crescent Society at al-Amal Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis city on August 22
