Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
Palestine’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Tamer Almassri has condemned inhumane actions of the Israeli government, which is blamed for adopting torture as a policy, particularly in its treatment of Palestinian civilians, including children.
The Ambassador alleged that Israeli soldiers subjected a one-year-old child, Karim Abu Nassar, from Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, to 10 hours of torture by extinguishing cigarettes on his small legs, pricking his skin, and inserting a metal nail into his leg in an attempt to coerce a confession from his father.
“The heinous act, which occurred in front of the child’s father during an interrogation, demonstrates the extent to which the Israeli government is willing to exploit and harm even the most vulnerable members of society, including young children, in pursuit of its objectives,” said Ambassador Almassri.
“After 10 hours of this barbaric treatment, the infant was released through the International Committee of the Red Cross in Al-Maghazi, while his father remains in Israeli detention.
“This is not an isolated incident of excessive zeal, but a calculated tool of psychological and physical warfare used to shatter the spirit of Palestinian families.”
Ambassador Almassri noted with grave concern that since October 2023, torture has effectively become a cornerstone of the Israeli occupation’s strategy, as the world is witnessing a torturous culture that is socially produced, politically defended and publicly normalised within the Israeli system.
“No child, anywhere in the world, should be subjected to such cruelty. These actions constitute a total collapse of human decency and a flagrant violation of every international law designed to protect the vulnerable,” he said.
About 350 Palestinian children are reportedly languishing in Israeli detention centres at the moment, with many being held without trial or charge.
“These children are being stripped of their youth and subjected to an unlawful system of structural domination and oppression that denies them their fundamental right to self-determination.
“The State of Palestine emphasises that the ongoing crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people are part of an unlawful system of domination and oppression that denies the Palestinian people their right to self-determination.
“These crimes, which include widespread arbitrary arrests, systematic torture, land confiscation, demolition of homes and facilities, forced displacement, and escalating settler violence under the protection of occupation forces, all occur in the absence of accountability and amid a prevailing culture of impunity,” said Ambassador Almassri.
Palestine has called on the international community to fulfil its responsibilities by providing immediate protection to the Palestinians and to take concrete measures to end the crimes of the Israeli occupation.
Some of the measures include enforcing respect for international law and ensuring accountability to prevent impunity.
Ambassador Almassri said the international community must take action to release all prisoners and to confront the documented violations in legal and diplomatic forums.
“It is only through such collective action that we can hope to bring to an end the suffering of Palestinians and to ensure their rights and dignity are respected and protected.”
