The United Nations committee on torture says there is evidence that Israel is operating a de facto state policy of organized and widespread torture.
The committee regularly reviews the records of all countries which have signed the convention against torture, taking testimony from their governments, and from human rights groups.
During Israel's review, both Israeli and Palestinian rights groups provided harrowing details about conditions in Israeli detention centers. It is alleged that thousands of Palestinians have been detained by Israel since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
Under Israel's laws on administrative detention and Unlawful Combatants—suspects who cannot be classified as prisoners of war—they can be held for long periods without access to a lawyer or family members.
Many Palestinian families report waiting months to discover that a loved one has been detained, leading the UN committee to describe this as enforced disappearance.
The committee specifically criticized the use of the Unlawful Combatants law to detain entire groups of Palestinians, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
The grim conditions reported in detention are echoed in the committee's conclusions published today. Evidence suggests Palestinians are frequently deprived of food and water and subjected to severe beatings, attacks by dogs, electrocution, waterboarding, and sexual violence. Some are allegedly permanently shackled, denied access to a toilet, and forced to wear diapers.
The committee concluded that such treatment amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity. It stated that evidence of a de facto state policy of organized and widespread torture constitutes an act that could be classified as genocide under international law.
Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
One committee member, Peter Vedel Kessing of Denmark, expressed that he and his colleagues were deeply appalled by what they heard. Committee members expressed concern over the lack of investigations or prosecutions into allegations of torture and called on Israel to launch independent investigations, ensuring accountability for those responsible, including senior military officers.
Israel did not publicly comment on the committee's findings but during hearings, its ambassador, Daniel Meron, dismissed the torture allegations as disinformation, asserting that Israel is committed to upholding its obligations in line with our moral values and principles, even in the face of the challenges posed by a terrorist organization.
The UN committee condemned the October 2023 Hamas attack and acknowledged the security challenges faced by Israel. However, they warned that violations of international law by one side do not justify the same actions by the other. Under the convention, to which Israel is a party, the prohibition on torture is absolute and remains in effect regardless of circumstances.
Israel's domestic law suggests that the convention only applies to its territory and not the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank—a view many international lawyers contest.
The report arrives amid increasing scrutiny of Israel's human rights record. The UN Human Rights Office recently noted that the killing of two Palestinians in the West Bank appeared to involve a summary execution. Evidence showed the two men with their hands up, seemingly surrendering to Israeli forces.
Meanwhile, UN aid agencies indicate that conditions in the Gaza Strip continue to deteriorate, with reports of insufficient aid supplies and Israeli strikes ongoing despite ceasefire conditions.
