Human rights defender recounts ordeal following detention by Israeli forces in Gaza
Gaza (Quds News Network) – In a harrowing account of his recent detention, Ayman Lubbad, a human rights defender and researcher at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), sheds light on the appalling treatment suffered by Palestinian detainees in Gaza at the hands of Israeli occupying forces (IOF).
The IOF, engaged in mass arrests since the commencement of their ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, have drawn international condemnation for their actions, with over a thousand Palestinians reportedly taken into custody.
The IOF’s military chief confirmed the arrest of over a thousand Palestinians in Gaza as of December 17, 2023. The shocking revelation followed the circulation of disturbing photos and videos on social media platforms, exposing the inhumane and degrading conditions faced by detainees in the city of Beit Lahia, located in the northern Gaza Strip.
One of the Palestinian detainees who were released this morning after their arrest yesterday by the occupying Israeli army in Beit Lahiya tells QNN:
⭕ The occupation soldiers stripped us naked when they arrested us in the northern Gaza Strip, put us in trucks and took us to the… pic.twitter.com/EL0XegcmLq
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 8, 2023
Ayman Lubbad, who was arrested on December 7, 2023, during the IOF’s operations, shares a detailed account of his traumatic experience. Lubbad, a researcher in the Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights Unit at PCHR, was detained at his family home in the northern city of Beit Lahia and released at the Kerem Shalom crossing south of the Gaza Strip on December 14, 2023. Currently residing in Rafah city, he remains separated from his wife and three children.
In his testimony, Lubbad recounts the events of his arrest, detailing the dehumanizing treatment endured by him and fellow detainees. According to Lubbad, on December 7, IOF ordered residents to leave their homes, instructing women and the elderly to go to Kamal Adwan Hospital, while men and boys as young as 14 were directed to strip and kneel in the street. Lubbad describes inappropriate actions by Israeli soldiers, including photographing half-naked detainees and forcing some to dance. The IOF reportedly burned houses in front of the detainees.
A chilling testimony from a child who, along with other civilians, was arrested by Israel occupation army after being trapped inside their homes in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Vg6XLX95hV
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 9, 2023
Lubbad and others were subsequently taken to the Zikim area by the sea, where they remained until late at night before being transported to the Ofekim military base. Throughout his ordeal, Lubbad alleges abuse by the IOF from early morning until midnight, with severe punishments for any attempt to change position or remove blindfolds.
The researcher, along with other detainees, was transferred multiple times, facing beatings and threats. He describes an interrogation at a new detention facility, where he was questioned about his work at PCHR and pressured to provide information about members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Lubbad reports physical abuse, threats, and curses during the interrogation.
Photos | The IOF surround UNRWA schools on Falouja Street in the northern Gaza Strip, evacuate women and children, and arrest several men after interrogating them.
Credit: Journalist Anas Al-Sharif pic.twitter.com/XDuOnRa0Q0— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 11, 2023
Despite facing extreme conditions, Lubbad was eventually released on December 14, 2023. He emphasizes the brutality faced by detainees, stating, “I could hear other detainees screaming as they were getting beaten in a way that was worse than the beating I had to endure.”
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al Mezan, and Al-Haq expressed deep concern over the safety and health of detainees, including dozens of women, still held in Israeli detention facilities. They accuse Israeli authorities of enforced disappearance and systematic torture, calling for an immediate end to such practices and urging international intervention to protect Palestinian civilians.
