The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said more than 50 of its staff in Gaza were abused and used as human shields while in Israeli military detention, AFP reports.

“Since the start of the war in October 2023, over 50 UNRWA staff among them teachers, doctors, social workers, have been detained and abused,” UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.

“They have been treated in the most shocking & inhumane way. They reported being beaten + used as human shields.” Lazzarini cited the testimony of one of the staff members who had been detained by the Israeli military before being released.

“I wished for death to end this nightmare I was living through,” the staff member was quoted as saying.

“Received this awful testimony from a colleague who was rounded up in Gaza, tortured while in Israeli detention and finally released,” they added Lazzarini said those detained had been subjected to “sleep deprivation, humiliation, threats of harm to therm & their families + attacks by dogs”.

“Many were subjected to forced confessions. This nothing short of harrowing & outrageous.”