Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, published a report alleging systematic torture of Palestinians in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023. Titled "Torture and Genocide," the report is based on written submissions and at least 300 testimonies and documents alleged abuses including beatings, sexual violence, starvation and enforced disappearances. It reports more than 18,500 arrests (including roughly 1,500 children), with about 9,000 currently detained and over 4,000 reportedly disappeared, and calls on the ICC to seek arrest warrants for three Israeli ministers.
UN Rapporteur Alleges Systematic Torture of Palestinians in Custody and Urges ICC Action
Report by Francesca Albanese says about 9,000 Palestinians were still in Israeli detention, while 'more than 4,000 have been subjected to enforced disappearance' [File: Pierre Albouy/Reuters]
A United Nations special rapporteur has alleged that Israel is systematically torturing Palestinians held in custody on a scale “that suggests collective vengeance and destructive intent,” according to a report published on Friday.
Key Findings
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, says her report—titled "Torture and Genocide"—documents widespread physical and psychological abuse of Palestinians in detention since October 7, 2023. The report is based on written submissions and at least 300 testimonies.
Alleged abuses listed in the document include brutal beatings, sexual violence and rape, lethal mistreatment, starvation, and the systematic deprivation of basic human conditions. The report contends these practices have caused “profound and lasting scars” on tens of thousands of Palestinians and their families and that torture has been used as a punitive tool and part of broader efforts to dominate and punish civilians.
"Torture has become integral to the domination of and punishment inflicted on men, women and children," the report states, citing both custodial abuse and a campaign of forced displacement, mass killings, deprivation, and destruction.
Detention Figures and Allegations
The report says arrests in the occupied Palestinian territory have risen sharply since October 2023, with more than 18,500 people detained, including at least 1,500 children. It states that about 9,000 Palestinians remain in detention and that more than 4,000 have been subjected to enforced disappearance. Albanese warns the detention system has "descended into a regime of systemic and widespread humiliation, coercion, and terror." Israel is a party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Calls For Accountability
Albanese urged the International Criminal Court prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for three Israeli ministers—Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—and called on states to take urgent measures to prevent further harm. She also said Israel should immediately cease acts of torture and ill-treatment.
Reactions And Context
The report focuses on Israeli conduct while noting that Albanese "unequivocally condemns torture and other forms of ill-treatment committed by all actors, including Palestinian armed groups." The findings have drawn strong criticism from Israel, which has accused Albanese of pursuing an "obsessive, hate-driven agenda to delegitimise the state of Israel." Last month, France and Germany called for her to resign over alleged remarks she made at an Al Jazeera forum in Doha. An NGO, UN Watch, circulated an edited clip that misrepresented some of her comments; Albanese’s full remark said: "We now see that we as a humanity have a common enemy and the respect of fundamental freedoms is the last peaceful avenue..."
Next Steps
Albanese is scheduled to present the report to the UN Human Rights Council. Special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the Council and do not speak on behalf of the United Nations as a whole.
Note: The report contains serious allegations. The claims reflect the contents of the rapporteur’s investigation and the testimonies collected; they have been strongly contested by Israeli officials and some allied governments.
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