At least 135 mutilated bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel to Gaza had been held at the Sde Teiman detention centre, already under investigation for alleged torture and unlawful deaths in custody, Gaza health officials said.
Dr Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza’s health ministry, and a spokesperson for Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, said each body bag contained a Hebrew document tag indicating the remains had been held at the Sde Teiman military base in Israel’s Negev desert.
Some tags also showed that DNA tests were carried out at the site, reported The Guardian.
Sde Teiman, used both as a detention facility and a storage site for bodies, has faced allegations of severe mistreatment of Palestinian detainees. A criminal investigation by the Israeli army into the deaths of 36 prisoners at the camp is still ongoing.
Photographs of some of the bodies showed victims blindfolded, hands tied, and in some cases, ropes around their necks.
Doctors in Khan Younis said field examinations indicated “acts of murder, summary executions and systematic torture”, including gunshot wounds from point-blank range and crushed limbs consistent with tank tracks.
Eyad Barhoum, administrative director of Nasser Medical Complex, said the bodies were returned without names, only codes.
Among them was Mahmoud Ismail Shabat, 34, whose family identified him by an old surgical scar. His brother said Shabat’s body bore “clear signs of torture”.
Human rights groups, including Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHR), called the findings “horrifying but not surprising”.
PHR said the evidence confirmed “systematic torture and killings” in Israeli detention facilities, urging an independent international investigation.
A whistleblower cited by The Guardian described prisoners being kept blindfolded, handcuffed, and forced to wear nappies. Some detainees, reportedly taken from Gaza hospitals, had limbs amputated due to infected handcuff wounds.
Palestinian journalist Shadi Abu Seido, released after 20 months in detention, alleged that inmates were stripped, abused, and subjected to psychological torture at Sde Teiman.
An Israeli doctor who reviewed photos of the returned bodies said that visible marks suggested “ischemic changes due to excessive restraints.”
When contacted about the allegations, the Israel Defence Forces said they had referred the matter to the Israel Prison Service for investigation but declined further comment.
The IDF has previously stated that detainees are treated “appropriately and carefully” and that any misconduct is investigated by military police.
According to UN data, at least 75 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023.