GENEVA: The UN denounced on Wednesday reports of “unacceptable” abuse and even torture of Palestinian detainees, particularly since the October 7 raid that sparked the crisis in Gaza, demanding an investigation.

The United Nations has long raised concerns about conditions for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons but warned that the situation appeared to have worsened since the war began.

Asked about a recent case where Israel’s military acknowledged its troops had tied a wounded Palestinian to a military vehicle during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, UN rights chief Volker Turk said it was “sickening to see such totally unacceptable treatment”.

“There must be a transparent and independent investigation to know what happened and to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” Turk said at a news conference in Geneva.

Turk’s spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani urged the need for accountability in the case, warning that without it, “brazen violations like this will continue with impunity”.

“At some point you run out of words of condemnation to use for such incidents,” she said.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2024