UN says Israel used dogs, waterboarding on Palestinian detainees from Gaza

Often, they were blindfolded and shackled before being transported to Israel and placed in “cage-like” military centres and forced to wear nothing but nappies for prolonged periods, it said.

“The testimonies gathered by my Office and other entities indicate a range of appalling acts, such as waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees, amongst other acts, in flagrant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” stated UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk in a statement.

Israel’s prison service held more than 9,400 “security detainees” as of the end of June, and some have been held in secret without access to lawyers or respect for their legal rights.

The report, which is based on interviews with former detainees and other sources, decries a “staggering” number of detainees – including men, women, children, journalists and human rights defenders – and said such practices raise concerns about arbitrary detention.

Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees has come under growing scrutiny following multiple media reports and statements from human rights groups describing torture.

On Monday, nine Israeli reservists were taken for questioning by the Israeli army amid a continuing investigation over serious sexual abuse against a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention camp. Far-right politicians, including members of Knesset, have protested against the detention of soldiers suspected of sexual abuse.