“They were trying to exterminate us”: Palestinian children in Gaza tortured by Israeli military
Brothers Abdulmumin, 16, and Ali D. were detained and tortured by Israeli forces in Gaza City in December 2023. (Photo: Courtesy of the family)
Israeli forces are systematically detaining and torturing Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip, including using some as human shields.
Ramallah, August 21, 2024
During an Israeli military incursion into the Al-Tuffah area of Gaza City on December 27, 2023, Israeli forces detained at least eight Palestinian children and used several as human shields, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Israeli forces detained around 50 Palestinians, including brothers 13-year-old Abdullah H. and 11-year-old Abdulrahman H. as well as 12-year-old Karim S. Israeli soldiers forced them to take off their clothes and bound their hands before forcing them to walk in front of Israeli tanks.
"They insulted us, slapped me on my face, and kicked me in my stomach and waist. I almost died from the beating," Karim told DCIP. “Then they made us walk in front of bulldozers and tanks in the streets so that the resistance wouldn’t target them.”
Karim S., 12.
“They released dogs on us to scare me, beat me on the head, and stripped me of my clothes,” Abdulrahman told DCIP. “The soldiers fired shots over our heads and insulted us. We sat in the middle of Al-Yarmouk Stadium all night with our heads between our legs, surrounded by dogs, soldiers, and tanks. Anyone who asked for water or needed to use the bathroom was beaten with rifles.”
Since 2000, DCIP has recorded at least 31 cases in which Palestinian children were utilized by Israeli forces as human shields. Both international law and the Israeli High Court of Justice prohibit the use of civilians as human shields.
During the same incursion into the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, Israeli forces detained at least five other Palestinian children, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
“I was subjected to terror, humiliation, beating, insults and threats with dogs,” 14-year-old Hasan S. told DCIP. “When they bombed parts of the house, we tried to save our lives and leave the house, my mother, my father, little brothers, my sisters and I. My mother was raising a white flag, when the soldiers fired over our heads and forced us to walk in front of the tank on Salahaddin Street. When we reached the Shujaiyya junction, they tied us up, stripped us, blindfolded us and let the women go to western Gaza.”
Hasan S., 14.
“We were severely beaten with rifle butts, and they left dogs among us, where they mauled some of the detainees,” Hasan’s father said. “They cursed us with the most obscene words. They prevented us from even drinking water. The female soldiers would come and spit in our faces. They were trying to exterminate us. We remained in this state for several hours before the soldiers released me. I did not know the fate of my son Hasan, nor what they had done to him, until several hours later that evening.”
“They treated us like animals, not humans. When they entered our house, the soldiers were shouting and firing bullets everywhere. They took me from the house and ordered me to undress, then they tied me up and blindfolded me,” 16-year-old Mohammad S. told DCIP. “I was kicked in the face, and the marks are still visible. They dragged me on the ground, and blood was pouring from my knees, feet, face, and head. I didn’t know where I was. They threatened to kill me and throw my body to the dogs to eat, and they cursed me constantly with obscene words I had never heard before.”
Mohammad S., 16.
During the incursion, after Israeli forces bulldozed the door of his home, a small Israeli drone entered Mohammad’s house and began firing live ammunition. Mohammad was detained by Israeli soldiers. His family was ordered to go to southern Gaza via Al-Rashid Street, and lost contact with the child after the forced separation until a neighbor told them that Mohammad was released and displaced at the Cairo School in Gaza City.