Palestinians who say they endured physical and sexual abuse in Israeli detention and at the hands of Israeli settlers shared their harrowing testimonies at the United Nations this week.
Said Abdel Fattah, a 28-year-old nurse detained in November 2023 near Gaza City’s Al Shifa hospital, recounted his ordeal, describing brutal beatings, threats of sexual violence, and other forms of torture during his two-month detention. “I was humiliated and tortured,” he said, recalling one particularly brutal interrogation where he was beaten severely. “I was like a punching bag,” he said, describing being struck in the genitals until he bled.
Fattah’s testimony was part of a series of public hearings hosted by the UN’s independent Commission of Inquiry (COI), focusing on allegations of sexual and reproductive violence by Israeli security forces and settlers.
Daniel Meron, Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, dismissed the hearings, calling them a waste of time and asserting that Israel thoroughly investigates and prosecutes allegations of wrongdoing by its forces. However, Fattah, speaking via video-link from Gaza, painted a grim picture of widespread abuse, claiming that sexual violence against Palestinians had become a widespread policy, particularly in the early months of the war.
Sahar Francis, a Palestinian lawyer, testified about systematic sexual violence, describing how those arrested from Gaza were often subjected to strip searches, with some soldiers using violent methods to humiliate detainees. “Sexual abuse happened in a very massive way,” she said, especially during the first months of the war.
Another Palestinian, Mohamed Matar from the West Bank, described being tortured by Israeli security agents and settlers. After the October 7 attack, Matar and other activists went to protect a Bedouin community from settler violence. Matar and two others were caught, stripped to their underwear, and subjected to physical and sexual abuse for nearly 12 hours. Matar recalled being forced to eat animal feces and being repeatedly assaulted by settlers, including one who tried to insert a stick into his body.
Matar, visibly shaken, shared a photograph taken by the settlers showing the victims in their underwear, bruised and beaten. He explained the psychological toll of the abuse, saying he spent months in shock, unable to comprehend such cruelty.
The testimonies were part of an ongoing investigation into alleged violations of human rights, with advocates pushing for greater accountability from Israeli authorities.
