Three Palestinian brothers who were detained by Israel in the Gaza Strip recounted that they and their fellow detainees were beaten, stripped of their clothes except for their underwear, burned with cigarettes, and subjected to other forms of mistreatment while in custody. Sobhi Yassin and his brothers Saadi and Ibrahim were among a group of dozens of Palestinian men who took refuge in a school in Rafah, southern Gaza, and spoke to Reuters about their treatment by Israeli soldiers. Reuters was unable to independently verify their accounts, which align with descriptions provided by more than 20 other former detainees who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Israeli army spokesperson's office responded in writing that the detainees were treated in accordance with international law, often asked to surrender their clothing to ensure they were not carrying weapons or explosives. The three brothers indicated that they were taken from their homes in the northern sector away from their families and held for up to two weeks in unknown locations, including a military barracks or camp. Sobhi stated that he and his brothers were detained in early December after the Israeli army surrounded the area where they lived and worked as day laborers in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. He added that four individuals beat him after he failed to climb onto a truck due to a leg injury sustained before his arrest, after which he was taken to an open area where the captors "smoked cigarettes and extinguished them on our backs, poured sand and water on us, and urinated on us."
Images of detainees stripped of their clothing except for their underwear in Gaza earlier this month sparked outrage among Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim officials. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has been investigating potential war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories since 2021, called on Israel and Hamas to respect international war rules.
The brothers who took shelter in Rafah stated that the Israeli army had not leveled any specific charges against them. They had been gathered together and then separated, as part of the mass arrests carried out in areas where the army advanced. Saadi mentioned that he was placed with other detainees in a truck designated for trash. Speaking in a group of about 20 men in a tent at the Rafah school, he said, "They were beating us, and anyone who raised their voice after being beaten was beaten again. They searched us and took our identity cards, money, and phones."
Some revealed scars on their wrists, indicating their hands had been bound or shackled, while one showed bruises and a wound on his back. Another displayed a thigh injury he said was caused by being beaten. Ibrahim Yasin described how his hands were tied and his eyes were blindfolded during his detention for interrogation. He stated, "They did not allow us to sleep. We stood for hours as punishment."
Ibrahim explained that their captors were humiliating the detainees, preventing them from speaking to one another or praying. He added, "After that, five soldiers took turns beating the detainees on the head and body," clarifying that he was hit in the ribs and revealing circular scars and wounds on his wrists.
The Israeli army released the brothers at different times at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, as it did with other groups of men it had detained during its ground operations, who were no longer suspected of having ties to Hamas. They reported that they walked several kilometers on foot from there to Rafah, joining hundreds of thousands of displaced people who are now living in crowded buildings and tents.
