Filmed, live-streamed abuse, cruelty of Israeli forces against West Bank Palestinians
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Israeli soldiers stationed in Hebron, a city in the occupied West Bank, have intensified their harassment and physical abuse of Palestinian citizens in the region, where they detain Palestinians for long hours without reason and intimidate them during questioning, according to new reports from the rights group B’Tselem and interviews with local residents.
A report in The Guardian, based on the group’s findings, suggests that Palestinians have been subjected to physical and mental abuse after being arrested on the street for petty issues, such as having photos of Palestinian flags on their phones or being accused of stone-throwing.
These detainees are often blindfolded, handcuffed, and taken to military posts, where they face prolonged abuse, both mental and physical. One elderly man described being violently thrown against a wall by soldiers after asking them to stop destroying his shop’s goods, as per the report.
These findings corroborate a B’Tselem report that details over 20 similar testimonies from Palestinians in Hebron between May and August 2024. The report indicates that since the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, the violence by Israeli forces has become more pervasive. Some incidents have even been recorded by the soldiers themselves, with abuse being live-streamed, highlighting the apparent indifference to any potential consequences.
The abuse appears to be part of a wider trend in the West Bank, where violence has surged alongside Israel’s military operations in Gaza. The number of Palestinian deaths at the hands of Israeli forces has increased, with nearly 800 Palestinians killed, including 160 children. Israeli raids have intensified, and administrative detention, allowing for indefinite detention without charge, has reached unprecedented levels.
Hebron, which is home to significant religious sites such as the Ibrahimi Mosque, has been particularly affected by these actions. The city is divided between Palestinian Authority and Israeli military control, with the Israeli-controlled H2 area housing 33,000 Palestinians alongside 900 Israeli settlers, protected by a heavy military presence. Palestinians in this area have long faced harsh living conditions, and since October 2023, movement restrictions have escalated into a near-permanent lockdown.
In one instance, a young man was detained and severely beaten by soldiers, who also threatened him with death and other forms of violence. His only crime, he believed, was his identity as a Palestinian. Other victims described similar experiences, where no specific reason for their detentions was given, but the violence was consistent and severe.
Rights groups such as B’Tselem have pointed out that these incidents are not isolated but represent a broader, systemic pattern of dehumanising treatment of Palestinians. The Israeli military, in response to these allegations, has suggested it cannot investigate without specific details, yet the growing number of testimonies paints a disturbing picture of everyday life for Palestinians in the occupied territories.