UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese has said that Israel uses torture against Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention centres and against the wider Palestinian population.
Her remarks followed a New York Times investigation by Nicholas Kristof, which said that torture and sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners had become systematic in Israeli custody.
Albanese shared her report, Torture and Genocide, prepared for the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council.
According to the report, torture has long been a central part of Israel’s dispossession of Palestinians.
It says that since October 2023, Israel has used torture on a scale that suggests collective revenge and destructive intent, reflecting a coordinated policy.
The report also refers to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying he ordered prisoners to be kept in dark cells and exposed continuously to the Israeli national anthem.
Albanese’s report argued that torture is not limited to prisons.
It said Palestinians have been subjected to torture through mass displacement, siege, and restrictions on humanitarian aid.
The report stated that Israeli authorities have created an environment intended to break Palestinian resistance and dignity. It also argued that systematic torture can serve as evidence of genocidal intent under the Genocide Convention.
The New York Times investigation, published on 11 May, included allegations that Israeli soldiers and prison guards subjected detainees to rape, sexual abuse of children, and physical torture.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tel Aviv would sue The New York Times over the allegations in its report.
