US condemns reports of sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners after Israeli TV broadcasts graphic video | Wilnesh News

Allegations of sexual abuse Palestinian prisoner The United States said members of the Israeli military acted “horribly” after a graphic video played on Israeli news fueled anger in Israel. growing criticism U.S. allies Conduct in the Gaza War.

Earlier this week, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller responded to questions about a video aired on Channel 12, Israel’s top-rated commercial television station, which allegedly display abusive behavior Photo of a Palestinian man at the Sde Teiman military facility, where thousands of soldiers Palestinians detained Since October.

“We have seen the video and the reports of sexual abuse of detainees are shocking,” Miller said, adding that the Israeli government should conduct a “full” investigation into the reports.

He added: “There should be zero tolerance for sexual abuse and rape of any detainee.”

The White House also called the reports Rape, torture and ill-treatment “Deeply, deeply concerning.”

Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre added: “We are clearly aligned with Israel’s position that Israel must treat all detainees humanely and with dignity in accordance with international law, must respect the human rights of detainees, and Accountability for any abuse or violation must be ensured.

This is the first time U.S. officials have mentioned footage of alleged sexual assault.

Read more NBC News:

NBC News has not confirmed the details of the reported abuse or whether the circulating footage involves it, but the allegations come amid a heated controversy over the treatment of Palestinian detainees that erupted in July when the Israeli military Charges against a reservist Serious ill-treatment and an investigation into nine other soldiers over allegations of mistreatment of a Palestinian detainee.

Sde Teiman’s doctor interviewed by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper express shock based on the severity of the man’s injuries.

On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed Five soldiers remain in custody on charges of “serious ill-treatment” and investigations are ongoing.

“The court-martial fully accepted the request of the military prosecutor and stated in its ruling that the evidence showed reasonable doubt as to these acts,” the court-martial said in a written statement.

a report A report released on Monday by the Jerusalem-based Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said that “soldiers or prison guards have repeatedly used varying degrees of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees as an additional punitive measure,” citing witnesses. There were “beatings on the genitals”, “the use of metal tools and batons to cause genital pain” and “cases of gang sexual violence and assault committed by a group of prison guards or soldiers”.

One detainee cited by B’Tselem described a member of the Israel Prison Service’s first response unit trying to sodomize him with a carrot, while others recorded the act on their cellphones.

“I screamed in pain and fear,” the affidavit read. “This went on for about three minutes.” The detainee, who was detained in 2022, said the incident occurred on October 29, 2023.

Detentions have surged since Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on 7 October, leaving 1,200 people dead and 240 abducted, some of whom are believed to be sexual abuse. About 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more injured since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ invasion, and the vast majority of Gaza residents have been forced to flee their homes, according to health officials in the enclave.

a report An April report by UNRWA, the U.N.’s Palestinian aid agency, also detailed cases of sexual abuse of detainees by Israeli forces, including sodomizing them with “iron rods and the like.”

In May, the United Nations special rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, called on Israel to investigate torture and other inhumane treatment, including sexual abuse, of Palestinian detainees.

“How we treat others in times of crisis shows how deeply we have internalized human rights,” Edwards said. “No situation, no matter how extraordinary, justifies torture or ill-treatment.”

According to the United Nations, Thousands of Palestiniansincluding children, have detained Since the war broke out on October 7, Israel has killed at least 53 people. The Palestinian Prisoners Commission is part of the Palestinian Authority and is based in Ramallah, the occupied West Bank.

Data comes from israel prison service B’Tselem cited 3,615 Palestinians in administrative detention as of March. The Israeli military, which holds detainees in addition to the IPS, told NBC News it had “no comment” when asked how many Palestinians had been arrested since October 7.

Shortly after Israeli authorities announced on July 29 that they had detained reservists suspected of abusing prisoners, hundreds of proved Stettman and Beitlid, who are believed to be holding the soldiers, protested against their detention.

While the reservist’s arrest has brought the case to wider attention, B’Tselem believes the abuse of Palestinian detainees is systemic in Israeli prisons.

During a heated meeting of lawmakers in July, one lawmaker asked if it was legal to “insert a stick into a person’s rectum.”

“Yes!” shouted Hanok Milvitsky, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party. If the detainees were Hamas militants, he said, “Everything is legal! Everything!”

Netanyahu has not responded publicly to Milvitsky’s comments, and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on these or the case as a whole. The prime minister has also not commented on the alleged abuses, other than to appeal for calm amid protests over the arrests of Israeli reservists and condemning those who broke into the base where they are believed to be held.