Licence to Torture

Praise be to Allah (swt) and peace and blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad (saw).

O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or your relatives. Surah An-Nisaa 4:135

As a consequence of the genocide in Gaza, Israel has turned the occupied Palestinian territory into a place of collective punishment, where the destruction of living conditions transforms genocidal violence into a tool of collective torture, with lasting physical and psychological consequences for the occupied population. This horrific situation is worsened by the cumulative effects of mass displacement, siege, denial of aid and food, military violence, as well as surveillance and terror.

This is the alarming conclusion of a recent official UN report on the rights of Palestinians, which has largely been ignored by the international community. UN expert Francesca Albanese states in the report that the international community has given Israel a free hand to torture Palestinians, with life in the occupied territories becoming “a perpetual cycle of physical and psychological suffering.”

Torture has become “a state policy” in Israel. According to the report, “Israel has been granted permission to torture Palestinians because most of your governments and ministers have allowed it.”

Torture is not limited to prison cells and interrogation rooms. Since October 7, 2023, Israeli attacks on Gaza have caused at least 72,263 deaths and 171,944 injuries, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

In the occupied West Bank, since October 2023, Israeli authorities have arrested more than 18,500 Palestinians, including at least 1,500 children (figures from February), the report states.

Meanwhile, Arab Zionists, despots, and dictators of Muslim countries remain passive spectators.

O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice… Surah An-Nisaa 4:135

The Ummah cannot rely on the UN, nor on Muslim countries, to prevent or punish acts of torture and genocide or to enforce international law. The increasing use of torture as part of the genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people makes these violations even more severe and indefensible.

Have you not seen those who ally themselves with a people with whom Allah is angry? Surah Al-Mujadila 58:14

According to released Palestinian detainees, the treatment they endured was even worse than what they had heard about detention centers such as Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, where U.S. forces allegedly tortured and forcibly disappeared Arab and Muslim men. They also testified that some detainees were killed under torture and suffered severe abuse.

Since the visit of an extreme-right minister to prisons, detention conditions and acts of torture have intensified.

The Israeli Minister of National Security has launched his own war against Palestinian political prisoners and detainees, introducing a policy of “overcrowding.” Since then, Israeli military and security forces have carried out mass arrest campaigns, bringing the number of detainees to 9,800 Palestinians from the West Bank and East Jerusalem. At least 335 women and 680 children have been arrested. More than 3,400 people are held in administrative detention indefinitely without charge including 22 women and 40 children. Such numbers have not been recorded since 1967.

Under the same minister who celebrated the legalization of executing Palestinian prisoners, the already deplorable prison conditions have worsened. Food and water rations have been drastically reduced, prison shops closed, and access to basic necessities cut. Water and electricity have also been restricted, and detention conditions tightened.

The use of torture, including rape and beatings, has become widespread. Shocking testimonies report prison guards urinating on detainees, torturing them with electric shocks, and sexually assaulting them with dogs. There are also reports of detainees being used as human shields by Israeli forces during fighting in Gaza.

The systematic use of torture and other abuses has led to extrajudicial killings. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, 48 Palestinians have died in detention centers. Among them was a 38-year-old man beaten to death by guards at Ketziot prison.

Testimonies from Israeli medical staff working in detention centers reveal horrific conditions. Detainees were reportedly operated on without anesthesia, and some required amputations after being kept shackled even while sleeping or receiving treatment.

Additionally, Israeli authorities have banned visits from lawyers, families, and even doctors, including the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their hearts conceal is far worse… Surah Aal Imran 3:118

Human rights reports indicate that Palestinian detainees are subjected to systematic starvation, escalating physical and psychological torture, prolonged solitary confinement, and denial of legal and family visits, in clear violation of the Convention Against Torture and the Fourth Geneva Convention. Several cases of enforced disappearance have also been documented, particularly among detainees from Gaza.

The Ummah must expose Israeli crimes, violations against Palestinian prisoners, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It is imperative to reveal the system of brutality that punishes and tortures in secrecy within Israeli prisons.

Israel must not remain unpunished for these atrocities. The Ummah must demand accountability for crimes committed against Palestinians in detention camps and prisons.

The believers are but one brotherhood. Surah Al-Hujurat 49:10

It is imperative for the Ummah to initiate and support a global collective action in support of Palestinian prisoners. The international Muslim community must demand accountability by imposing a total arms embargo on Israel, applying economic sanctions, and suspending its membership in the UN.

Do not think that Allah is unaware of what the ظلمون (wrongdoers) do… Surah Ibrahim 14:42

The fate of our Palestinian brothers and sisters, unjustly and arbitrarily detained in Israeli prisons, depends on our tawakkul—our complete trust in the power of Allah (swt).

May Allah (swt) guide and help us.