During the war, Palestinians detained in Gaza by Israeli forces are making widespread allegations of physical abuse.
Key Points
Gazan women, including Nebile, sought safety in UN schools but were detained by Israeli soldiers, facing days of mistreatment.
The detainees, including children, were subjected to harsh conditions, including physical abuse, intimidation, and forced strip searches, without any formal charges or trials.
Human rights organizations have criticized Israel for detaining Palestinians without legal proceedings and not informing their families of their whereabouts.
Images of blindfolded, handcuffed Palestinians have sparked international outrage, highlighting the extensive human rights abuses in detention facilities.
Despite these adversities, stories of resilience emerge, with women like Nebile sharing their experiences of survival and hope amidst the harsh reality of detention.
Nebile, a woman from Gaza, sought refuge in a UN school thinking it was safe but was detained by Israeli soldiers and subjected to days of mistreatment.
The 39-year-old described the soldiers as harsh, stating they beat and shouted at them in Hebrew, hitting them whenever they lifted their heads or spoke.
The exact number of Palestinian women or children detained is unknown. After being detained, Nebile, along with a mixed group, was shuttled between facilities in Israel before arriving at Damon Prison in northern Israel, where she estimated there were at least 100 women.
Human rights organizations report that Israel detains Palestinians in Gaza without charges or trials and does not inform their families or lawyers of their whereabouts. The Israeli prison service claims to fully apply all necessary fundamental rights through professionally trained guards.
Since October 7, Israeli ground forces have arrested hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza for searches and intelligence gathering. Images of blindfolded, kneeling Palestinians with bowed heads and bound hands have sparked global outrage. Israeli soldiers forcibly gathered many people, including health workers, from UN schools and hospitals in northern Gaza and Khan Younis.
The army forced detainees to undress for 'explosive searches,' taking those considered innocent to Israel before potentially releasing them back into Gaza. Nebile's ordeal lasted 47 days, during which she was separated from her children and transported to a facility in southern Israel.
Despite Israeli evacuation orders, Nebile and her family chose not to leave northern Gaza, believing no place was safe. On December 24, soldiers raided the school they were sheltering in. Nebile feared execution and burial by the soldiers. Forced apart from her children, Nebile was taken to a southern Israeli facility, where all detainees from Gaza are initially brought to Sde Teiman Military Base.
Nebile, now in a shelter in Rafah near Gaza's Egyptian border, recounted enduring cold, forced kneeling, loud music, shouting, intimidation, humiliation, blindfolding, handcuffing, chaining, multiple strip searches, and interrogations under gunpoint. She denied any connections to Hamas or knowledge of its tunnels, stating she was a housewife and her husband worked for the Palestinian Authority, a rival of Hamas.
Another Gazan woman, wishing to remain anonymous for fear of re-arrest, reported being forced to kiss an Israeli flag during a health check before being transferred to Damon Prison; when she refused, a soldier assaulted her.
A report by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) based on former Gazan detainees' testimonies highlighted similar allegations of mistreatment, including beatings, medical neglect, and forced strip searches.
According to PHRI, detainees labeled as "illegal combatants" are denied protections afforded to prisoners of war under international law, delayed court appearances, and restricted access to lawyers.
HaMoked, an Israeli human rights organization, estimated 600 Gazans are detained in Israeli prisons as "illegal combatants," with others held at military sites. Detainees reported to PHRI that medical care, even for those needing insulin or chemotherapy, is rare. Official documents indicate "illegal combatants" must be treated while handcuffed and blindfolded.
After being transferred to Damon Prison, Nebile felt relatively at ease, meeting other Palestinian women detained from the West Bank. An Israeli officer questioned Nebile about her detention reason. About one and a half months after her arrest, a prison administrator announced Nebile and 20 other women would be released.
They were taken by Israeli buses to the Gaza border gate and then to UN shelters in Rafah, filled with displaced Palestinians, but Nebile still cannot return to central Gaza. Recalling her last interrogation, Nebile shared that when she cried, her interrogator told her being there was better than living in Gaza.