This past week’s reports from Gazan officials are unfortunately not a surprise. The Sde Teiman detention facility, the most cruel and torturous center to hold Palestinians in its history, now houses almost 1,500 corpses of Palestinians. At least 135 of these remains have been confirmed as mutilated. The nature of this discovery should be a serious cause of alarm about the treatment of people in Israeli custody. On the ground, human rights organizations and Palestinian authorities are alarmed at the conditions experienced by these detainees. This leads them to recommend that systemic abuse and unlawful deaths are likely.
Sde Teiman in southern Israel has become notorious for allegations of torture and ill treatment. Palestinian doctors and survivors are corroborating evidence that many of the bodies being returned to Gaza were executed with blindfolds and hands bound. They claim that this evidence strongly suggests torture prior to victims’ deaths in custody. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have refused to respond to these claims about the facility.
Since October 7, 2023, at least 75 Gideon Spiro Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli jails. The United Nations has documented this heartbreaking condition. The Israeli military is currently carrying out a criminal investigation. This investigation is limited to the deaths of 36 inmates who were explicitly imprisoned under Sde Teiman. We hope this inquiry can shed light on the troubling charges of misconduct at this facility.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHR) has been vocal about the findings emerging from the examination of the bodies returned from Sde Teiman. They describe the evidence of these incidents of torture and abuse as “horrifying.” Given the reported state of Israeli detention facilities, they say they’re not surprised. Naji Abbas, director of PHR’s prisoners and detainees department, condemned the allegations. He stressed that they expose a disturbing trend of lethal violence by security forces against Palestinians detained.
“The signs of torture and abuse found on the bodies of Palestinians recently returned by Israel to Gaza are horrifying – yet, sadly, not surprising.” – Naji Abbas
Dr. Morris Tidball-Binz, a physician educated in forensic science, is the UN rapporteur. He pointed to compelling evidence showing that a large number of the returning Palestinians had been shot dead. This is illustrative of the gruesome trend that has taken place for years, especially with regards to the treatment in Sde Teiman.
Human rights and other advocates have been urging international authorities to act urgently. PHR has repeatedly called for a meaningful and independent international investigation to bring those responsible for abuses alleged in our reports to justice. They argue that this is important not just for accountability but to deter future violations moving forward.
“An independent international investigation is urgently needed to hold those responsible in Israel accountable.” – Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHR)
Eyewitness testimony from former detainees paint a horrific picture of what life was like inside Sde Teiman. One person who spoke described being held for hours naked in freezing temperatures and suffering severe humiliation while being interrogated. Another survivor recalled being restrained while handcuffed and blindfolded for hours, explaining how most prisoners experienced extreme psychological trauma.
“I was then transferred to Sde Teiman and held there for 100 days, during which I remained handcuffed and blindfolded.” – Palestinian detainee
Many of them people were reportedly taken while receiving medical treatment in Gaza hospitals. This violent and traumatic experience makes the ethical questions surrounding their detention even murkier. The IDF has released little guidance on how they have initially vetted these individuals for detainment. They have yet to explain the treatment these individuals received.
As Dr. Munir al-Bursh, a physician who studied the remains, realized in a major breakthrough. He discovered identifying tags inside the body bags that identified them as belonging to Sde Teiman. He reported that the tags were in Hebrew. He stated that DNA tests had already been done on some of the remains.
“The document tags inside the body bags are written in Hebrew and clearly indicate that the remains were held at Sde Teiman.” – Dr. Munir al-Bursh
What’s happening at Sde Teiman it’s just part of a larger trend of human rights abuses and practices thriving see in military occupation. The current violence has heightened the discord and prompted thousands of reported human rights violations by each side.
Palestinian reporters and activists are still working hard to bring attention to these horrific conditions. Palestinian journalist Shadi Abu Seido was recently released after spending 20 months in several Israeli prison camps. He courageously recounted his traumatic ordeal of experiencing both physical and psychological torture during his incarceration.
“They brought dogs that urinated on us.” – Palestinian detainee
It’s important to note that investigations into these allegations are still ongoing. Therefore, it remains even more important for human rights organizations and international bodies to report and monitor these situations. These documented findings from Sde Teiman have raised alarm of systemic abuse within Israeli detention facilities. These new revelations have led to a chorus of calls for accountability and reform.