Geneva: The United Nations Human Rights Office (UNHRC) has made a big allegation against Israel after the killing of Hamas terrorist Ismail Haniyya. The UNHRC released a report on Wednesday after Haniyya was killed, saying that people detained by Israeli authorities after the October 7 attacks are facing many other tortures and abuses including ‘waterboarding’, insomnia, electric shock. According to the UNHRC, a large number of Palestinians are in Israeli custody.
‘Waterboarding’ is a form of torture in which a person’s face is covered with a cloth and water is poured over it, causing the person to feel like drowning. The report said that the Israeli prison department detained more than 9,400 people by the end of June, some of whom are kept in secret places, where they are not being allowed to meet lawyers or use legal authorities. Based on conversations with former prisoners and other sources, the report expressed surprise at the “shocking” number of people detained, including men, women, children, journalists and human rights activists.
UNHRC claims horrific acts
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement, “Evidence collected by my office and other institutions indicates many horrific acts, such as torturing prisoners by pouring water on them, setting dogs on them, etc. This is a gross violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.” The war in Gaza began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7. About 1,200 people were killed in Hamas attacks while more than 250 were taken hostage.
