Human Rights Abuses and Outrage in Gaza: Mass Detentions, Ill-Treatment, and Enforced Disappearances

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has received disturbing reports from the north of Gaza, alleging mass detentions, ill-treatment, and enforced disappearances of possibly thousands of Palestinians, including men, boys, women, and girls, at the hands of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). Reports indicate that detainees, including children as young as 12 and individuals as old as 70, were subjected to serious ill-treatment, possibly amounting to torture. Families have not been provided any information on the fate or location of their loved ones, exacerbating their anguish and fear. The IDF claims to have detained only "Hamas affiliated" Palestinians, but concerns of collective punishment have been raised. OHCHR calls on Israel to ensure that civilians are detained according to law, treated humanely, and that all instances of ill-treatment or torture are fully investigated.