‘Israeli torture camps’ must close, says Palestinian rights group

The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has demanded accountability for Israeli abuses against Palestinian detainees, stating that recent testimony and evidence from Israeli detention centres "reveal a level of violence that resounds with the atrocities documented in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib".

According to Al Mezan, citing lawyers, Palestinian prisoners and detainees are enduring severe physical and psychological torture in Israeli facilities.

This torture includes "being hung in stress positions, beaten with hammers, having their nails pulled out with wire-cutting pliers, attacked by dogs, and beaten with soldiers' fists, feet, and rifle butts," Al Mezan reported.

Detainees "have been exposed naked to the scorching sun while standing on sharp gravel stones, subjected to verbal abuse, and threatened with rape, death, and bombing, along with threats against their families".

They have also been "deprived of food, water, sleep, and access to sanitation for extended periods, all while facing extremely harsh living conditions," according to Al Mezan.

The torture has led to several deaths, but there is no definitive record of the total number of Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody, Al Mezan added.