Over 20 Israeli NGOs release report on Israeli abuses in West Bank and Gaza

A new report published by 21 Israeli NGOs details Israeli abuses in the occupied West Bank and the ongoing war on Gaza, as well as settler violence.

The NGOs who produced joint report include B’Tselem, Peace Now, Gisha, Physicians for Human Rights, Yesh Din, Rabbis for Human Rights and The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel.

The report looks at annexation, settler violence, dispossession and the devastation and famine caused by Israel in Gaza

The report commences with personal stories from Israeli victims of the Hamas led attack on 7 October and goes on to call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of captives.

It later highlights Israel’s abuses in the besieged enclave.

"Death, hunger and destruction committed by the Israeli military in Gaza raise heavy suspicions of war crimes and crimes against humanity," it says.

Raids in the occupied West Bank and the detention of children are also mentioned in the report.

It states that "a disturbingly common and abusive practice is military invasions of Palestinian homes, almost always between midnight and 5am," adding that this is followed by physical violence which is traumatic for children and leads to serious health consequences.

It notes that the Israeli military arrests Palestinian children in the middle of the night, despite this being a flagrant violation of children’s rights under several international conventions.

"Physical and psychological torture is used regularly and with complete impunity in Israel Security Agency interrogations, despite Israel’s claims to the contrary and despite the clear ban on torture in international law," it states.

The report goes on to give recommendations on how the violations can be amended, including through international intervention.

"We welcome the existence of international systems of justice and law and support the steps taken by them to intervene and to stop the occurrence of war crimes and crimes against humanity, here and wherever heavy suspicions arise of such crimes being committed."

The NGOs shed light on the sharply rising death toll in the occupied West Bank and a proposed Israeli bill which seeks to prevent the provision of medical care improving quality of life to prisoners.

It concludes by listing some of the attacks against NGOs who have published information on Israeli crimes as well as the labelling of Palestinian NGOs as “terror organisations.”