Palestinian Baby Tortured by Israeli Soldiers to Extract Father’s Confession, Report Claims

Original article: Reportan tortura de bebé palestino por soldados israelíes para forzar confesión de su padre

Local media and eyewitness accounts have reported a serious incident in the Al-Maghazi area of central Gaza, where a one-year-old Palestinian baby was held by Israeli forces during the detention and interrogation of his father.

According to information released by Anadolu Agency and echoed by regional outlets, the child—identified as Karim Abu Nassar—was in the custody of Israeli soldiers for 10 hours, during which witnesses claim he was tortured with cigarette burns and puncture wounds on both legs to coerce a confession from his father.

The child was eventually released and returned to his family through the International Committee of the Red Cross, while his father remains in detention by Israeli forces.

This incident occurs within a broader context of allegations regarding the use of torture against the Palestinian population. In her latest report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese warns that torture has been systematically employed by Israel since October 2023, in both detention settings and beyond.

The document asserts that these practices include the deliberate infliction of physical and psychological pain for coercion, intimidation, or collective punishment, and that the widespread use of such measures against the Palestinian population reflects a structural pattern rather than isolated incidents.

Furthermore, the report clarifies that these practices extend to the entire Palestinian population, including children, highlighting conditions in Gaza and the West Bank—such as home demolitions, aid blockades, attacks on medical personnel, and forced displacements—that aim to inflict prolonged physical and mental suffering.

The report calls for international action, demanding that Israel cease the torture and permit access to international bodies. It also requests that states and the International Criminal Court investigate and issue arrest warrants against high-ranking officials such as Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, and Israel Katz for crimes against humanity and genocide.

Albanese concludes that any delay in the international response exacerbates harm and reinforces a structural system of violence that international law is designed to prevent, stop, and sanction.