Today, human rights NGO B’Tselem released a new report - Unleashed: Abuse of Palestinians by Israeli Soldiers in the center of Hebron. The report uncovers repeated cases of severe abuse of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers.
The report is based on over 20 testimonies collected by B’Tselem from Palestinians who were abused by Israeli soldiers between May and August 2024. Victims describe being randomly seized by soldiers, mostly as they were walking down the streets of the city, going about their daily affairs. They were beaten and subjected to severe abuse by soldiers, sometimes in the street, and at other times inside military outposts where they were taken.
B’Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak: “People step out to go about their daily business, are seized by soldiers and beaten to the point of passing out as a matter of routine. The testimonies collected by B’Tselem field researchers paint a shocking picture of the violent behavioral norms of Israeli soldiers. After more than a year of Israel’s unrelenting war against the Palestinian people, abuse of Palestinian passersby has become a desirable, even required practice. These are not isolated incidents or a departure from operating procedures, but rather a pattern representative of systemic attitudes, which are, themselves, the result of the dehumanization of Palestinians, steered by the Israeli government.”
