(Washington) The United States on Monday expressed “concern” and called on its Israeli ally to investigate following a CNN report on the degrading conditions some Palestinian prisoners are said to be subjected to in the midst of the war in Gaza.
Based on information provided by Israeli whistleblowers, the American news channel last week broadcast a shocking report about the Sde Teman base in the Negev Desert in southern Israel.
Read the CNN report (in English)
“We're worried about [ces accusations] “We are investigating these and other accusations of mistreatment of detained Palestinians,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
He stressed that the United States informed the Israelis that it had an “obligation to conduct a comprehensive investigation” into accusations of violating international humanitarian law.
Vedant Patel stressed: “We have always been clear and consistent with all countries, including Israel, that all detainees must be treated humanely, with dignity and in accordance with international law.”
According to CNN, the detention center houses about 70 prisoners subject to harsh conditions, in addition to a field hospital where some injured detainees were tied to beds wearing diapers and fed with straw.
One of the whistleblowers, who shared the photos, spoke of blindfolded prisoners who were ordered to sit upright and not speak, with guards shouting at them in Arabic to “shut up.”
In the field hospital, doctors amputated the limbs of injured prisoners, who were then handcuffed, according to CNN.
Prisoners were tortured less to gather intelligence than to “retaliate” for the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, according to one informant.
The Israeli army pledged to examine these accusations. Israeli investigations into human rights violations, reported by the media or NGOs, rarely lead to serious consequences for the armed or security forces.
A US State Department report concluded on Friday that it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel used the weapons supplied by the United States in a manner inconsistent with international humanitarian law, without this conclusion leading to the suspension of the arms shipment. Military equipment.
