Detainees say Israel — told to fix notorious Sde Teiman prison — just relocated alleged abuses

Under unit from Israel's apical tribunal to amended conditions astatine a installation notorious for mistreating Palestinians seized successful Gaza, the subject transferred hundreds of detainees to recently opened camps.

But abuses astatine these camps were conscionable arsenic bad, according to Israeli quality rights organizations that interviewed dozens of existent and erstwhile detainees and are present asking the aforesaid tribunal to unit the subject to hole the occupation erstwhile and for all.

What the detainees' testimonies show, rights groups say, is that alternatively of correcting alleged abuses against Palestinians held without complaint oregon proceedings — including beatings, excessive handcuffing, and mediocre fare and wellness attraction — Israel's subject conscionable shifted wherever they instrumentality place.

"What we've seen is the erosion of the basal standards for humane detention," said Jessica Montell, the manager of HaMoked, 1 of the rights groups petitioning the Israeli government.

Asked for a response, the subject said it complies with planetary instrumentality and "completely rejects allegations regarding the systematic maltreatment of detainees."

The sprawling Ofer Camp and the smaller Anatot Camp, some built successful the West Bank, were expected to resoluteness problems rights groups documented astatine a detention centre in the Negev godforsaken called Sde Teiman. That tract was intended to temporarily clasp and dainty militants captured during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught connected Israel. But it morphed into a semipermanent detention centre infamous for brutalizing Palestinians rounded up successful Gaza, often without being charged. 

Detainees transferred to Ofer and Anatot accidental conditions determination were nary better, according to much than 30 who were interviewed by lawyers for HaMoked and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI). The Associated Press is the archetypal planetary quality enactment to study connected the affidavits from PHRI.

"They would punish you for anything," said Khaled Al Serr, 32, a surgeon from Gaza who spent months astatine Ofer Camp and who agreed to talk astir his experiences. He was released aft six months without charge. 

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Al Serr said helium mislaid number of the beatings helium endured from soldiers aft being rounded up successful March of past twelvemonth during a raid astatine Nasser Hospital successful Khan Younis. "You'd beryllium punished for making oculus contact, for asking for medicine, for looking up towards the sky," said Al Serr.

Other detainees' accounts to the rights groups stay anonymous. Their accounts could not beryllium independently confirmed, but their testimonies — given separately — were similar.

The Supreme Court has fixed the subject until the extremity of March to respond to the alleged abuses astatine Ofer.

Leaving Sde Teiman

Since the warfare began, Israel has seized thousands successful Gaza that it suspects of links to Hamas. Thousands person besides been released, often aft months of detention. 

Hundreds of detainees were freed during the ceasefire that began successful January. But with crushed operations precocious restarted successful Gaza, arrests continue. The subject won't accidental however galore detainees it holds.

After Israel's Supreme Court ordered amended attraction astatine Sde Teiman, the subject said successful June it was transferring hundreds of detainees, including 500 sent to Ofer.

Ofer was built connected an bare batch adjacent to a civilian situation of the aforesaid name. Satellite photos from January amusement a paved, walled compound, with 24 mobile homes that service arsenic cells.

Anatot, built connected a subject basal successful a Jewish settlement, has 2 barracks, each with country for astir 50 people, according to HaMoked.

Under wartime Israeli law, the subject tin clasp Palestinians from Gaza for 45 days without entree to the extracurricular world. In practice, galore spell acold longer.

Whenever detainees met with HaMoked lawyers, they were "dragged violently" into a compartment — sometimes barefoot and often blindfolded, and their hands and feet remained shackled passim the meetings, the rights radical said successful a missive to the military's advocator general.

"I don't cognize wherever I am," 1 detainee told a lawyer.

Newly freed Israeli hostages person spoken retired astir their ain harsh conditions successful Gaza. Eli Sharabi, who emerged gaunt aft 15 months of captivity, told Israel's Channel 12 quality that his captors said hostages' conditions were influenced by Israel's attraction of Palestinian prisoners. 

Detainees allege regular beatings

Al Serr said helium was kept with 21 others from Gaza successful a 40-square-metre compartment with 8 bunk beds. Some slept connected the level connected camping mattresses soldiers had punctured truthful they couldn't inflate, helium said. Scabies and lice were rampant. He said helium was lone allowed extracurricular his compartment erstwhile a week.

Detainees from Ofer and Anatot said they were regularly beaten with fists and batons. Some said they were kept successful handcuffs for months, including portion they slept and ate — and unshackled lone erstwhile allowed to ablution erstwhile a week. 

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Three prisoners held successful Anatot told the lawyers that they were blindfolded constantly. One Anatot detainee said that soldiers woke them each hr during the nighttime and made them basal for a half-hour.

In effect to questions from AP, the subject said it was unaware of claims that soldiers woke detainees up. It said detainees person regular ablution entree and are allowed regular gait time. It said occasional overcrowding meant immoderate detainees were forced to slumber connected "mattresses connected the floor."

The subject said it closed Anatot successful aboriginal February due to the fact that it was nary longer needed for "short-term incarceration" erstwhile different facilities were full. Sde Teiman, which has been upgraded, is inactive successful use.

Nutrition and wellness care

Alserr said the worst happening astir Ofer was aesculapian care. He said guards refused to springiness him antacids for a chronic ulcer.

After 40 days, helium felt a rupture. In the motortruck heading to the hospital, soldiers tied a container astir his head.

"They bushed maine each the mode to the hospital," helium said. "At the infirmary they refused to region the bag, adjacent erstwhile they were treating me."

The subject said each detainees person checkups and due aesculapian care. It said "prolonged restraint during detention" was lone utilized successful exceptional cases and taking into relationship the information of each detainee. 

Many detainees complained of hunger. They said they received 3 meals a time of a fewer slices of achromatic breadstuff with a cucumber oregon tomato and sometimes immoderate cocoa oregon custard.

That amounts to astir 1,000 calories a time — oregon fractional what is necessary, said Lihi Joffe, an Israeli pediatric dietitian who work immoderate of the Ofer testimonies and called the fare "not humane." 

After rights groups complained successful November, Joffe said she saw caller menus astatine Ofer with greater variety, including potatoes and falafel — an improvement, she said, but inactive not enough.

The subject said a nutritionist approves detainees' meals and that they ever person entree to water.

Punished for seeing a lawyer

Two months into his detention, Al Serr had a five-minute video league with a judge, who said helium would enactment successful situation for the foreseeable future.

Such hearings are "systematically" brief, according to Nadia Daqqa, a HaMoked attorney. No lawyers are contiguous and detainees are not allowed to talk, she said.

Several months later, Al Serr was allowed to conscionable with a lawyer. But helium said helium was forced to kneel successful the prima for hours beforehand.

Another detainee told the lawyer from Physicians for Human Rights that helium underwent the aforesaid punishment. "All the time, helium has been threatening to instrumentality his ain life," the lawyer wrote successful notes affixed to the affidavit. 

Since his merchandise successful September, Al Serr has returned to enactment astatine the infirmary successful Gaza.

The memories are inactive painful, but caring for patients again helps, helium said. "I'm starting to hide ... to consciousness myself again arsenic a quality being."