A doctor at a field hospital for detained Palestinians at Israel’s Sde Teiman army base has disclosed that inmates are in “deplorable conditions” and experience “routine” amputations resulting from injuries sustained while in handcuff.
In a letter to Israel’s attorney general and defense and health ministers, obtained by Haaretz newspaper, the doctor said the conditions at Sde Teiman field hospital compromise inmates’ health and violate medical ethics.
“Just this week, two prisoners had their legs amputated due to handcuff injuries, which unfortunately is a routine event,” the doctor said in the letter.
He wrote that inappropriate care at the detention facility has led to “complications and sometimes even in the patient’s death,” adding that “this makes all of us – the medical teams and you, those in charge of us in the health and defense ministries, complicit in the violation of Israeli law.”
The report quoted the doctor as saying “inmates are fed through straws, defecate in diapers and are held in constant restraints, which violate medical ethics and the law.”
Meanwhile, it is not clear when the doctor penned the letter.
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However, in a written statement to CNN responding to the claims, an Israel Defense Forces, IDF, spokesperson said:
“The IDF operates according to the law and within the framework of the law when it comes to the treatment of detainees.
“Every procedure is documented and supervised, and is done with extreme care for the human dignity of the detainees, in accordance with the principles of Israeli and international law.
“The handcuffing of the detainees is carried out in accordance with the procedures, their health condition and the level of danger posed by them, in order to ensure the safety of the forces and the medical staff.
“According to the IDF’s instructions, violence against detainees is absolutely prohibited. The IDF protects the rights of the detainees held in the detention facilities, and regularly briefs the forces regarding the required conduct towards detainees, including the prohibition of resorting to violence.
“Any allegation of violence or humiliation for which concrete details will be provided will be examined and dealt with individually. the IDF said
A spokesperson for Israel’s health ministry said they had nothing further to add.
A source who has a medical background and previously visited the Sde Teiman field hospital equally confirmed seeing detainees held in constant restraints.
The medical source, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said all the Gazan detainees they saw at the field hospital had all four limbs shackled, which the source said increases the risk of blood clotting and other health concerns.
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