The UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, reported that she had received information about ill-treatment of Palestinians detained in prisons run by the Israeli Prisons Authority and in Israeli army camps.

A United Nations human rights expert called on the Israeli authorities to investigate the torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian prisoners since October 7, 2023.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, said Thursday that she had received information about the ill-treatment of Palestinians detained in prisons run by the Israeli Prisons Authority and in Israeli army camps.

She pointed to estimates of the arrest of thousands of Palestinians, including children, since the outbreak of the war.

Edwards said she has been conducting a "thorough review over the past two months" based on multiple sources, but her investigation is ongoing.

In a statement, she described receiving information about cases of prisoners who were beaten and detained while blindfolded and handcuffed for long periods in cells, in addition to being deprived of sleep and threatened with physical and sexual violence.

She added that there are also reports indicating that Palestinian detainees have been subjected to degrading treatment, including having photos taken of them in offensive positions.

Edwards, an independent human rights expert appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, but who does not speak on behalf of the United Nations, noted that she does not have sufficient information to determine whether the violations are systematic.

She said that she raised the issue with the Israeli authorities and asked them to investigate and allow her and “international human rights monitors and humanitarian observers” to communicate with the prisoners.

She added, "It is very important that there be independent inspections."

The rapporteur urged the Israeli authorities to "investigate all complaints and reports of torture or ill-treatment promptly, fairly, effectively and transparently."

Edwards also stressed that officials, at all levels, “must be held accountable.”