At least 135 mutilated bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel to Gaza had been held in a notorious detention centre facing allegations of torture and unlawful deaths in custody, Gaza health officials have told the Guardian.
The director general of the health ministry, Dr Munir al-Bursh, and a spokesperson for Nasser hospital in Khan Younis said a document inside each body bag indicated the bodies came from Sde Teiman, a military base in the Negev desert. According to photos and testimonies published last year, Palestinian detainees at Sde Teiman were held in cages, blindfolded, handcuffed, shackled to hospital beds and forced to wear diapers.
Contacted about the allegations, the Israel Defense Forces said they had asked the Israel Prison Service to investigate. The IPS did not respond to a request for comment.
Photographs of the bodies seen by the Guardian show some victims blindfolded with hands tied behind their backs, and one with a rope fastened around his neck. Doctors in Khan Younis said examinations indicated acts of murder, summary executions and systematic torture.
