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UN expert reports ‘systematic use of torture against Palestinians’ in Israeli custody

23 March 2026

In a report released on Friday (20 March), United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said that Palestinians in Israeli custody “have been subjected to exceptionally ruthless physical and psychological abuse” since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and does not speak on behalf of the United Nations. She has previously faced criticism for her reporting on Israel and Palestine, including her characterisation of the situation in Gaza as genocide.

The report, titled “Torture and Genocide”, draws on more than 300 testimonies and examines what it describes as the “systematic use of torture against Palestinians from the occupied Palestinian territory since 7 October 2023”. Albanese added that she “unequivocally condemns torture and other forms of ill-treatment committed by all actors”, including Palestinian armed groups.

“Brutal beatings, sexual violence, rape, lethal mistreatment, starvation and the deprivation of basic human conditions have inflicted profound and lasting scars on the bodies and minds of tens of thousands of Palestinians and their loved ones,” the report stated.

It also points to a sharp rise in arrests since October 2023, describing Israel’s detention system as a “regime of widespread humiliation, coercion, and terror”. According to the report, more than 18,500 Palestinians have been arrested, including around 1,500 children, with approximately 9,000 still in detention and “more than 4,000” subjected to enforced disappearance.

Albanese called on Israel to “cease all acts of torture and ill-treatment” and urged countries to act to prevent further destruction in Palestine. She also urged the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek arrest warrants for several senior Israeli ministers.

Albanese is expected to present the report to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday (23 March).

Source: commonspace.eu with Al Jazeera and Le Monde

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