Israel Detained, Tortured, and Starved a 16-year-old Child from Gaza for over a year / Israel’s Abuse of Palestinian Children in Detention Camps / End Israel’s Impunity: Torture of Children in Israeli Detention
Dear [Elected Official’s Name],
In Gaza in January 2024, 16-year-old Mustafa was separated from his family at a military checkpoint. They stripped him, tightly bound his hands and feet, and blindfolded him. At least three soldiers interrogated him—beating him and using a stun gun on his neck and shoulders.
Mustafa was thrown into a truck with around 150 other captives, including children, and taken to Sde Teiman, a notorious Israeli detention camp where numerous cases of torture and rape against captives have been documented.
“The soldiers subjected me and the other detainees to brutal beatings, causing blood to stream from my nose as they struck me with metal objects on my head and face, leaving my eyes swollen. Once we were forced to the ground, handcuffed and blindfolded, kneeling in submission, they unleashed dogs upon us and revved up a tank that charged toward me, halting just a meter away.”
Water was weaponised, with only one litre of dirty water provided a day, and ” tiny creatures swimming within it, visible to the naked eye.”.
Two weeks later, he was transferred to Mejiddo prison where he was interrogated, placed in solitary confinement, and subjected to coercion. Eventually, he was thrown into a cell with 14 other children, where they experienced beatings, dog attacks, and further verbal and mental abuse.
As of December 31, 2024, at least 25 children from Gaza were confirmed as detained in Israeli prisons, but this number excludes children held at Sde Teiman or other Israeli military facilities operating outside the prison system.
Right now, countless Palestinian children captive in Israeli detention camps, enduring brutal treatment in violation of international law.
You must stand up to these crimes against humanity. Sanctions against other states have proven effective in halting egregious human rights abuses; they must be applied here. A two-way trade and arms embargo and an end to diplomatic relations with the apartheid state is essential.
We must recognise a Palestinian state immediately to commit to a lasting peace and an end to the illegal occupation. This is a call for international law to be upheld and basic human rights for all to be protected.
Your constituent,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
