Detained Palestinians undergo “routine” amputations for handcuffed injuries

An Israeli doctor at the field hospital for Palestinian detainees at the Sde Teiman military base described in a letter the deplorable conditions that could compromise the health of inmates and put the Government in danger. Israel at risk of violating the law. In the letter, sent to the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Health and the Attorney General of the Republic, the professional described “routine” amputations of prisoners due to injuries caused by handcuffs.

“This same week, Two prisoners had their legs amputated due to injuries caused by handcuffswhich unfortunately It’s a routine occurrence“, said the doctor in the letter to which the newspaper Haaretz had exclusive access.

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He added that Prisoners are fed with straws, defecate in diapers and kept restrained at all times.which violates medical ethics and the law.

Palestinians who were detained by the Israeli army during its operation in the northern Gaza Strip and later released. (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP). (Said Khatib/)

The doctor also wrote that inadequate care at the detention center caused “complications and sometimes, even the death of the patient.”

“This makes all of us, the medical teams and you, those in charge of us in the Ministries of Health and Defense, complicit in the violation of Israeli law,” he emphasized.

Haaretz explained that the field hospital and detention center in Sde Teiman They were established immediately after the outbreak of Gaza War on October 7 to retain terrorists from Hamasincluding those who participated in the atrocities of that day, until they could be transferred to a regular prison.

At that moment, the Knesset (The Israeli Parliament) approved an amendment to the law on the detention of suspects that specified the conditions under which they could be detained.

Since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, most of the residents of the Palestinian enclave who were detained have been sent to Sde Teiman will be investigated for their participation in terrorism. Those who are cleared of any suspicion are sent back to Linkindicates Haaretz.

Palestinians naked after being arrested by Israeli forces in Gaza.

“Since the first days of operation of the medical Center until today, I faced serious ethical dilemmasS. More than that, I write [esta carta] to alert them that the operation of the center does not comply with…the Law on the Arrest of Illegal Combatants,” he said. the doctor.

I say that all patients at the hospital located in Sde Teiman are handcuffed by four limbs, regardless of how dangerous they are considered. They are blindfolded and fed through a straw.

“Under these conditions, in practice, even young and healthy patients lose weight after one or two weeks of hospitalization,” said the doctor. He added that the hospital does not receive regular supplies of medical equipment or medicines.

Haaretz also reported that, in response, a spokesperson for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) He said detainees received enough food for their health needs and had access to the toilet in accordance with their medical condition. He also confirmed that their movements are restricted and they are given diapers.

According to Haaretz, the procedures for care in field hospitals when the patient is handcuffed and blindfolded were dictated by the Ministry of Health last December. A ministry official said the policy of handcuffing detainees was instituted after a patient attacked a member of medical staff. As a general rule, detainees in Sde Teiman are handcuffed 24 hours a dayemphasized the newspaper.

Israeli soldiers detain blindfolded Palestinian men in Gaza on November 19, 2023. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP). (MAHMUD HAMS/)

According to the doctor who wrote the letter, More than half of the field hospital’s patients are there due to injuries sustained from being constantly handcuffed.. Handcuffs, he said, cause serious injuries that “require repeated surgical interventions.”

An IDF spokesperson told Haaretz that The way in which detainees were handcuffed was determined “in accordance with the law and in accordance with an individual determination of the dangerousness of each detainee, with the aim of ensuring the safety of troops and medical personnel.”

He also noted that the decision to handcuff a detainee takes into account his medical condition and the recommendations of medical authorities. The army said that due to the injuries, the handcuffs initially used in the center were exchanged for another type and that guards ensure that there is sufficient space between handcuffs and detainees’ limbs.

Haaretz said that The plastic handcuffs used in the first few months after the start of the war were replaced by metal handcuffs.

Israeli soldiers transfer Palestinians detained in the Gaza Strip on November 21, 2023. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA/AFP). (MENAHEM KAHANA/)

The Israeli newspaper said three other sources said that at the start of the war a detainee whose hands were injured from being cuffed in plastic for a long period of time had one of his hands amputated. An IDF spokesperson stated that the incident was investigated, but as no criminal offense was found, it was decided not to open a Military Police investigation.

One of these sources stated that many of the detained have been injured due to fighting or during war, and who His injuries were often aggravated by the conditions of his imprisonment. and lack of hygiene Sde Teiman. He added that others suffer from chronic illnesses and that since the start of the war there has been an ongoing shortage of medicines. Some detainees suffered prolonged epileptic seizures.

This source said that the hands of many of the detainees were cut and later infected by the handcuffs. The claim is supported by detainees who were released in Link is that They show in photographs the wounds on their hands.

A man who was detained along with other Palestinians by the Israeli army during its operation in the north of the Gaza Strip and later released suffers injuries to his wrists at al-Najjar hospital in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP). (Said Khatib/)

According to sources, at one point the facilities at the Sde Teiman They housed between 600 and 800 inhabitants of Linka small part of them passed through the field hospital.

In his letter, the doctor states that detainees do not receive adequate care even when they are transferred to a hospital: “No patient referred to a hospital stays there for more than a few hours. It happens that patients undergoing major operations, such as abdominal surgeries for intestinal resections, return to the field hospital in Sde Teiman after approximately one hour of postoperative observation.”

He added that the field hospital has a single doctor for most of the day, accompanied by a nursing team, some without much medical training.

In a written statement to CNN in response to the allegations, a spokesperson for Israel Defense Forces said: “The IDF operates in accordance with the law and within the framework of the law when it comes to the treatment of detainees. “Each procedure is documented and supervised and carried out with the utmost care for the human dignity of the detainees, in accordance with the principles of Israeli and international law.”

“The handcuffing of detainees is carried out in accordance with procedures, their state of health and the level of danger they pose, in order to guarantee the safety of forces and medical personnel,” he added.

Source: Elcomercio