At least 135 mutilated bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel to Gaza had been held in the notorious Sde Teiman detention centre, according to Gaza health officials. The facility already faces allegations of torture and unlawful deaths in custody.
Dr Munir al-Bursh, director general of the health ministry, and a spokesperson for Nasser hospital in Khan Younis said documents found inside each body bag indicated the bodies came from Sde Teiman. The military base in the Negev desert has been the subject of allegations that Palestinian detainees were held in cages, blindfolded and handcuffed, shackled to hospital beds and forced to wear diapers.
Photographs of the bodies seen by the Guardian, which cannot be published due to their graphic nature, show several victims blindfolded with hands tied behind their backs. One image shows a rope fastened around a man's neck. Doctors in Khan Younis said examinations “clearly indicate that Israel carried out acts of murder, summary executions and systematic torture against many of the Palestinians”.
The Israel Defense Forces said they had asked the Israel Prison Service to investigate the torture allegations. The IPS did not respond to a request for comment.
