UN Panel Accuses Israel of a Systematic Policy of Torture

Thu Dec 04 2025 20:41:17 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A UN committee has reported on widespread torture in Israeli detention centers, calling for accountability and independent investigations into alleged human rights violations.

The United Nations committee on torture has concluded that Israel operates a 'de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture'. Testimonies from Israeli and Palestinian rights groups during Israel's review revealed harrowing conditions in detention centers, including severe mistreatment of prisoners. The committee's findings raise serious concerns about human rights violations and call for independent investigations into Israel's actions, emphasizing that such treatment amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The United Nations committee on torture says there is evidence that Israel is operating a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture.

The committee regularly reviews the records of all countries which have signed the convention against torture, taking testimony from their governments, and from human rights groups.

During Israel's review, both Israeli and Palestinian rights groups provided harrowing accounts of the conditions in Israeli detention centres. Allegations suggest that thousands of Palestinians have been detained by Israel since the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

Israel's administrative detention laws enable the prolonged holding of suspects without access to legal representation or communication with family members. Many Palestinian families report waiting months to discover whether a loved one has been detained, which the UN committee characterized as enforced disappearance.

The committee was particularly critical of Israel's application of the Unlawful Combatants law, which reportedly subjects entire groups, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly, to detention.

Grim evidence of the treatment of detainees was highlighted in the committee's conclusions published today. Palestinians are allegedly regularly denied food and water, and subjected to severe beatings, attacks by dogs, electrocution, waterboarding, and sexual violence. Some detainees reportedly face permanent shackling, denial of toilet access, and forced use of diapers.

The committee declared that such actions constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, asserting that Israel's reported systematic torture constitutes one of the acts of genocide under international law.

Israel has consistently dismissed accusations of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

One committee member, Peter Vedel Kessing from Denmark, expressed profound concern over the testimonies presented, noting the lack of investigations or accountability for allegations of torture.

The committee's findings arrive in light of increasing scrutiny of Israel's human rights practices, even as the UN acknowledges the security challenges faced by the country. It emphasizes that violations of international law by one party do not justify similar actions by another.