Today's Hamas torture story

The PCHR, flawed as it is as a "human rights" organization, is doing more reporting from Gaza than any reporters are:

At approximately 03:00 on Friday, 13 July 2007, the Executive Force arrested 2 officers of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service from their houses in al-Suandiya area in the west of the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia: Lieutenant Colonel Ziad Fanous, 50; and Nader Qaddoura Sa’diya, 50. According to PCHR’s investigations and the two officers’ testimonies, they were taken to the headquarters of the Executive Force in al-Twam area in the west of Jabalya. They then were transferred to al-Mashtal detention center, which used to serve as an outpost of the General Intelligence Service, northwest of Gaza City. There, the two officers were beaten and tortured.

According to the two officers’ testimonies, as soon as they were taken to al-Mashtal detention center, they were slapped and punched on their faces. They were then handcuffed and blindfolded and taken to 2 rooms on the first floor of the building. The two officers were interrogated on issues related to their work as intelligence officers, and they were violently beaten. Officer Sa’diya told PCHR that he was beaten throughout the body, especially on the shoulders, the neck and the legs. Officer Fanous lost consciousness as a result of beating.

Officer Fanous was released on Friday afternoon following 13 hours of detention, whereas officer Sa’diya was released on Sunday evening, 15 July 2007. PCHR lawyers visited the two officers at home and witnessed signs of beating and torture throughout their bodies.

On Sunday evening, 15 July 2007, the Executive Force arrested Isma’il ‘Ezzat Sha’ban, 32, a police officer from Jabalya town. Sha’ban was detained until Monday morning. During his detention and interrogation, he was beaten and tortured. As a result, he was injured to the head. PCHR has photographs showing signs of torture on his head, back and left hand. Sha’ban stated to PCHR that at approximately 17:30 on Sunday, 15 July 2007, a number of members of the Executive Force came to his house and demanded him to accompany them to an outpost of the Force. They agreed to allow him to change his clothes and then follow them to their outpost. He actually went to the outpost. There, he was violently beaten throughout his body and was verbally insulted by members of the Executive Force. He was then transferred to the headquarters of the Executive Force in Jabalya refugee camp. There, he was violently beaten again. Members of the Executive Force asked him about the reasons of his absence from his work, and he told them that he would not attend his work and that “his legitimate command is in Ramallah”, in reference to an order issued by the chief of police to all police officers to abstain from attending their jobs in the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ takeover. At approximately 01:00 on Monday, Sha’ban was blindfolded and a person stitched his injury in the head without anesthesia. His request to be seen by a doctor or transferred to a hospital was refused. He was then transported in a jeep and was dumped nearly 100 meters away. In the morning, he went to a hospital in Beit Lahia to receive medical treatment.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 23:00 on Sunday, 15 July 2007, the body of Waleed Salman Abu Dalfa, 45, from Gaza City, was brought to the reception department at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, carried on a litter by members of the Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades. According to initial medical checking conducted by a doctor, there were “bruises on the hands and the legs, hematomas in the legs and signs of stranglehold on the neck.” These results were further asserted also by a forensic specialist who checked the body on Monday morning, 16 July 2007, in the presence of a representative of PCHR and a relative of the victim. These results indicate that Abu Dalfa died when he was subjected to torture during detention, which was also asserted by PCHR, which additionally concluded that his brother, 41-year-old Khalil Salman Abu Dalfa, who had been also subjected to torture before being released following his brother’s death.

Man bites dog.