Watan-A Palestinian citizen, who was arrested by the Israeli occupying army in the Gaza Strip, described how he was restrained and attached to explosives before being forced to enter a tunnel suspected of being used by the Hamas movement.
Hakim, a 30-year-old Palestinian who spoke to the “Middle East Eye” website, stated that Israeli soldiers used him as a human shield while searching for Hamas fighters underground.
The Palestinian, who preferred to mention only his first name and was released two days ago, said that he was one of many men who appeared in photos and videos, bound and stripped of their underwear by the occupying forces.
He recalled that one of the soldiers told him that he wanted to send him to his God before taking him to a Hamas tunnel.
He continued: “They made me wear a belt filled with explosives, and put a GoPro camera on my head with a rope around my waist.”
According to the Palestinian, he was then pushed into the tunnel and ordered to explore it to find out if there were any fighters inside.
He added: “They were ready to blow up the tunnel using my body if the camera mounted on my head showed any fighters inside.”
He continued: “I was 100% sure that I would be killed at that moment, but they pulled me out of the tunnel when they found nothing inside.”
According to Hakim, a 15-year-old boy underwent the same treatment. He added that the boy, who was detained with him, survived and was released after three days.
Enforced Disappearance
Despite the release of Hakim, his brother and other relatives remain in Israeli custody.
He said, “We were left without food for several days. Water was given to us occasionally, and we were subjected to humiliation with the worst words imaginable.”
Israel released footage a week ago showing dozens of Palestinian prisoners semi-naked, claiming they were fighters from Hamas surrendering.
However, eyewitnesses, released Palestinians, and the relatives of the detainees told the Middle East Eye that the men were civilians.
American Concern
The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, Matthew Miller, said that his administration found the images “extremely disturbing.”
He added, “We are seeking more information about the nature of the images and, of course, the reason for their release to the public in the first place.”
Hakim stated that neither he nor any of his detained relatives have any connection to any of the resistance factions in Gaza.
He pointed out that they were held in the schoolyard in the cold, saying, “We were interrogated about Hamas and Palestinian resistance. They released women and children and kept the men.”
Human Rights Calls to Stop Israeli Aggressions
In this context, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Al-Mezan Foundation, and Al-Haq Foundation, prominent Palestinian organizations in the field of human rights, called for an end to the enforced disappearance of hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza, including dozens of women and girls.
The statement read: “Based on the information and testimonies gathered by our teams, Israeli authorities have been conducting mass arrest operations for several days, especially in northern Gaza, where Palestinians are being arrested from their homes or UNRWA schools.”