LONDON: A 47-year-old Palestinian from the town of Nahhalin in the occupied West Bank claimed that he suffered fractures and multiple injuries as a result of beatings during his detention in an Israeli prison.
Rizq Shakarneh was detained last week after Israeli authorities demolished homes and structures in Nahhalin, west of Bethlehem, for building without permits.
He was detained for eight days and was denied medical treatment despite pre-existing health issues. After being released on Wednesday, he was unable to stand or move and was taken to hospital, according to Palestine news agency WAFA.
Shakarneh said that he was subjected to severe beatings while in Israeli detention. CT scans revealed rib fractures, bruises and multiple head injuries. He said that his beard was forcibly shaved and that he faced starvation during his detention.
Rights groups and the UN have consistently raised concerns about Israel’s “de facto state policy of organized and widespread torture” in its detention facilities. At least 98 Palestinian prisoners, mostly from the Gaza Strip, have died in Israeli custody since October 2023.
