Report: UNRWA accuses Israel of abusing Gazans detained for questioning

IDF troops seen operating in Gaza in this handout photo cleared for publication on February 26, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF troops seen operating in Gaza in this handout photo cleared for publication on February 26, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

An unpublished report by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees accuses Israeli troops of abusing hundreds of Palestinians detained in Gaza and brought to Israel for questioning, according to The New York Times.

The newspaper says the report alleges that some detainees were “beaten, stripped, robbed, blindfolded, sexually abused, and denied access to lawyers and doctors, often for more than a month.”

The report claims that such alleged behavior was “used to extract information or confessions, to intimidate and humiliate, and to punish.”

The IDF said that any mistreatment is “absolutely prohibited,” denied all allegations of sexual abuse, and said it is investigating any complaints of inappropriate behavior, the report said.

UNRWA is itself being investigated on claims that more than a dozen of its employees took part in the October 7 onslaught on southern Israel alongside Hamas.

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