In Gaza, local and international media outlets report Israeli forces tortured a Palestinian toddler to coerce a confession from his father. According to reports from Palestine TV, Al Jazeera and others, the child’s father, Osama Abu Nassar, was detained near the al-Maghazi refugee camp on Saturday after he came under fire from Israeli soldiers. He was forced to approach an Israeli checkpoint, where he was separated from his 18-month-old son, stripped naked and forced to watch as soldiers used a cigarette to burn one of the toddler’s legs while using a nail to puncture the other. This comes as a new report published by a U.N. expert on Palestine warns Israel is systematically torturing Palestinians on a scale that “suggests collective vengeance and destructive intent.” This is Francesca Albanese, U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory.
Francesca Albanese: “Since October 2023, torture has effectively become state policy, sustained by a torturous culture that is socially produced, politically defended and publicly normalized. The proposed bill on the death penalty for Palestinian detainees marks yet another dangerous escalation. I’ve therefore recommended that those responsible, including senior officials such as Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and Israel Katz, be investigated and, where warranted, that arrest warrants be issued.”