OIC calls for urgent probe into Israeli violations against Palestinian inmates

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called for an urgent investigation into Israeli abuse of Palestinian prisoners, amid harrowing testimonies from released Palestinians and a new UN report that the Palestinians are subjected to ill-treatment including dire physical conditions and torture.

In a statement, the 57-member organization expressed “deep concern regarding the increased violent acts and severe violations committed by the occupying Israeli regime against numerous Palestinian prisoners.”

“These violations have been well-documented by various legal entities and include acts such as execution, torture, starvation, rape, isolation and forced disappearance,” it added.

The organization highlighted that such violations have resulted in the deaths of 18 Gazan prisoners in Israeli detention centers since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7 last year.

The OIC also denounced the “ongoing indiscriminate detention drives carried out by Israeli authorities.”

“These actions have resulted in a significant increase in the number of Palestinian detainees, with the current count exceeding 9,700 individuals. Among them are 80 female detainees, 52 journalists, and over 250 children, in addition to more than 3,380 individuals held in administrative detention without formal charges or trial,” it said, noting that “close to 600 detainees are serving life sentences.”

The OIC finally called for an immediate international inquiry into the “cruel conditions and continuous Israeli infringements against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.”

Palestinians subjected to electric shocks, sexual violence in Israeli jails: UN

The UN says the Palestinians are denied basic necessities including food and water.

The Israeli militarh is believed to have detained thousands of Palestinians, including women, children and medics ever since it started its devastating ground and aerial offensives against Gaza. Those released have shown signs of torture.

CNN television news channel and the New York Times are among the American media that have reported on the abuse of Palestinians in Israeli detention since the bombing of Gaza began.

Palestinian detainees have continuously resorted to open-ended hunger strikes in an attempt to express outrage at their illegal detention.

Israel keeps Palestinian inmates under deplorable conditions without proper hygienic standards. Palestinian inmates have also been subject to systematic torture, harassment, and repression.

Human rights organizations say Israel continues to violate all rights and freedoms granted to prisoners by the Fourth Geneva Convention and international laws. 

According to the Palestine Detainees Studies Center, around 60 percent of the Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails suffer from chronic diseases, a number of whom died in detention or after being released due to the severity of their cases.

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