Israel’s occupation forces have kidnapped thousands of Palestinian civilians from their homes and shelters across Gaza, with children as young as 10 years old and seniors above the age of 70 also being violated and forced to strip.
Israel is “obligated” to disclose the whereabouts of nearly 3,000 Palestinians “kidnapped” by occupation forces in Gaza, Euro-Med said in a statement on Tuesday, urging the international community to press Israel to halt “its policy of enforced disappearance.”
The European watchdog revealed that there are “dozens” of women among thousands of Palestinian civilians that Israeli occupation forces kidnapped from homes and shelters across Gaza.
“Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor urged the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to pressure the Israeli authorities to reveal the fate of detainees from the Gaza Strip, release them, and investigate the severe violations they have been subjected to,” the statement read.
Israel has continued to act with utmost impunity for decades, especially during its current genocidal war on Gaza that has persisted since October 7, without being held to account for its crimes.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Israel has killed 21,110 Palestinians while wounding 55,243 others, according to the latest figures by Gaza’s health ministry. Since the start of its ground invasion of Gaza on October 27, Israeli occupation forces have carried out field executions and kidnappings.
Euro-Med learned that the Israeli forces kidnapped Palestinians in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza City, some of whom have been taken to the Yarmouk Stadium.
Harrowing accounts shared by Euro-Med included incidents where occupation forces forcibly removed women’s veils, and beat and harassed others. Children as young as 10 years old and seniors above the age of 70 have also been violated and forced to strip.
“Hundreds of additional civilians were arrested in Jabalia Al-Balad and its camp, north of Gaza, and in the neighbourhoods east of Gaza City, where they were subjected to the same inhumane policy by members of the Israeli military,” Euro-Med added.
The rights agency revealed that occupation forces would execute and kill Palestinians in Gaza during their raids “either for no apparent reason”. Female detainees were also threatened with rape.
The Euro-Med report added additional context to multiple images that have surfaced on social media throughout December, showing dozens of Palestinians rounded up by occupation forces across Gaza.
To date, the European agency has not been able to verify the exact number of kidnapped Palestinians “due to the ongoing Israeli enforced disappearance policy.” Preliminary estimates point to more than 3,000 Palestinians being detained, including 200 women and young females.
“In addition to the hands and feet of detainees of all ages being shackled during their transfer and detention, people were left shackled and blindfolded for long periods of time without food or water, while anyone who tried to ask for something was met with violence and insults,” Euro-Med added.
Under the 2006 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, enforced disappearance is a crime that is punishable by law.
“The agreement states that forced disappearance is illegal and qualifies as a ‘crime against humanity’ if carried out extensively or methodically, as is being done by Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip,” Euro-Med added.