GAZA, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)
The international organization Defense for Children International has revealed harrowing accounts of Palestinian children who were abducted while attempting to reach aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, before being subjected to severe torture inside the ‘Sde Teiman’ military detention camp in southern Israel.
These children were released on October 3 after a period of detention marked by violence and mistreatment.
Among the testimonies is that of Mahmoud, a child who was arrested by the Israeli army in Rafah on August 7.
Mahmoud said that he was subjected to continuous beatings and electric shocks, and was held in what is known as the “disco room,” where loud music is blasted for long hours to deprive detainees of sleep.
He also reported that Israeli intelligence tried to recruit him in exchange for 30,000 shekels (about $9,000) per month and additional privileges. When he refused, he was subjected to another round of torture that led him to attempt suicide twice.
The child spent two months shackled with tight cuffs, was attacked by dogs, and suffered a dislocated shoulder and skin injuries without receiving any treatment.
As for Fares, 16, he recounted that he endured extreme psychological and physical torture. One guard showed him a doctored photo of his mother, claiming she had been killed along with his sisters. When he broke down in anger, soldiers punished him by hanging him and beating him for an entire week. Fares left detention suffering from recurrent nightmares and involuntary urination due to trauma.
The international organization confirmed that the conditions of detention inside the Sde Teiman camp are “designed to deform an entire generation physically and psychologically,” stressing that the documented testimonies reflect systematic torture aimed at suppressing any future resistance among Palestinian children.
These testimonies sparked widespread outrage on social media. Cedar Salvo wrote: “What is happening in the torture camp called Sde Teiman is a continuation of a documented practice for more than 40 years. Israel tortures Palestinian children, and this is not breaking news.”
Hannah Danton wrote: “They hung a boy in the air for a whole week, beat him the entire time, and left him to wet himself. We cannot be allies to people who do this to a child. Free the Palestinian prisoners.”
Benny Pearson added: “Israelis relish cruelty and inhumane, sadistic acts that represent pure evil.”
Abeer wrote: “Palestinian children are subjected to horrors beyond imagination in the hell of Sde Teiman.”
Meanwhile, Amani asked in outrage: “How does the world keep living normally while children are being systematically tortured?!”
