GENEVA, Thursday, August 8, 2024 (WAFA) — Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has described recent footage of Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention camp as “shocking.” Laurence called on Israel to thoroughly investigate all reported violations.
In a press statement today, Laurence stated, “These are shocking scenes and represent one of many instances of serious Israeli violations in recent months, including the mistreatment of Palestinian detainees, torture, sexual violence, and rape.”
Laurence noted that recent reports have highlighted multiple serious breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law, including sexual violence and gender-based violence against those deprived of their liberty.
Footage shows Israeli soldiers abusing Palestinians
Israel’s Channel 12 broadcast footage from Sde Teiman prison, which appears to show the moment soldier took a Palestinian detainee to a corner of a room where a number of Palestinians were being held, covering themselves with… pic.twitter.com/XuvNHXxqvT
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) August 7, 2024
The UN official added that some of these acts might qualify as “war crimes.”
He emphasized that “Israel must ensure swift, independent, and effective investigations into all allegations of violations, which we believe are widespread.”
Laurence also reiterated the commission’s ongoing concern over the “persistent impunity in Israel regarding violations against Palestinians in the occupied territories.”
He renewed the call for Israel to grant immediate access to independent monitoring bodies, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to all detention centers.
