As the US continues to talk about its efforts to stop the war, more than 42 Palestinians were killed in the past hours by Israeli army fire in Gaza, raising the death toll from the ongoing war on the Strip to 40,861 dead and 94,398 wounded.
At the same time, the United States of America announced a new proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. The new proposal, presented by the American administration, consists of 18 paragraphs, and aims to resolve the main points of contention that led to the ongoing stalemate for months in the talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt in an attempt to reach a truce.
A senior US administration official said that the new US plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has been approved by 90%.
The official said that “negotiators are still trying to reach solutions to two major obstacles: Israel’s demands to keep forces in the Philadelphi corridor, and the identity of the individuals who will be included in a deal to exchange hostages held by Hamas for Palestinians held by Israel.”
He considered that the negotiations with Hamas are still “frustrating” to conclude the deal, stressing that the exchange of prisoners for prisoners and the areas of withdrawal of the Israeli army are obstructing reaching an agreement.
In addition, the channel reported that NBC The American newspaper quoted American officials as saying that “Washington had contacts with Hamas months ago regarding the possibility of reaching an agreement that does not include Israel.”
The channel pointed out, quoting informed sources, that “the administration of US President Joe Biden is studying a request by the families of American detainees in Gaza to conclude an agreement with Hamas that does not include Israel, which the families submitted in a meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.”
NBC indicated that “Biden administration officials told the families of American detainees in Gaza that they would consider all options,” revealing that “Washington had already made contacts with Hamas through Qatari mediation months ago regarding the possibility of an agreement that does not include Israel.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “The Israeli army will not change its policies to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza.”
In the context, Hamas said today, Thursday, that “there is no need for new proposals for the timing of the ceasefire,” noting that “what is required now is to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government and oblige them to what has been agreed upon.”
Hamas added in a statement: “We warn against falling into Netanyahu’s trap and his tricks, as he uses negotiations to prolong the aggression against our people.”
She continued: “Netanyahu’s decision not to withdraw from the Salah al-Din (Philadelphi) axis aims to thwart reaching an agreement.” It is noteworthy that informed American officials had announced that Washington would not withdraw from the Gaza talks, because it wants to end the war that has been ongoing for 11 months.
On Tuesday, the United States called for speed and flexibility in order to conclude a ceasefire agreement, after the bodies of 6 other prisoners were found a few days ago, stressing that the prisoner exchange issue can only be resolved through negotiation.
US President Joe Biden also expressed his dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s statements about the Philadelphia Corridor, considering that he is not doing everything he can to release the detainees.
Likewise, Netanyahu’s statements regarding his insistence on not withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor also angered Egypt.
While Israel has witnessed ongoing demonstrations since last Sunday to pressure the government to agree to a ceasefire agreement and release those detained in Gaza since October 7, approximately 100 Israeli prisoners are still inside the destroyed Palestinian sector, including about 64 alive, according to Israeli army estimates.
In a related context, a Palestinian prisoner revealed horrific details about the torture methods and assaults he and other prisoners were subjected to in Israeli prisons.
According to the “Arab 48” website, the Palestinian prisoner spoke about “being subjected to repeated torture and sexual assaults by Israeli prison guards, including the use of tools to inflict physical and psychological harm on him,” according to what he recounts in a private testimony from inside the prison, which was conveyed to the “Arab 48” website by a lawyer named Wiam Baloum.
The lawyer quoted the prisoner, whose name the website did not reveal, as saying that he “sat in a dark cell filled with insects. He is a man in his forties from the northern West Bank, and was arrested in early 2023 and placed under administrative detention.”
He added, “The prisoner did not expect that the fateful day in November 2023 would be a horrific turning point in his life, after years of imprisonment in harsh conditions that he had previously experienced, and he did not imagine that he would find himself a victim of a new wave of torture and sexual assault at the hands of the prison guards who did not miss an opportunity to assault him and his fellow prisoners.”
Baloum continued, “The tragedy began when the prisoner was transferred with a group of prisoners to an area known as “Al-Makhloul.” There, they were asked to take off their clothes and bow down in front of the guards. The guards did not just watch them, but they also forced their hands into the prisoner’s anus, and sometimes they used a stick to inflict more pain and humiliation.”
“But the attacks did not stop there. Later that same day, the prisoner was transferred to another room known as “Al-Zanana,” where he was again forced to lie on his stomach and severely beaten. The next night, another group of prison guards entered the room and began to brutally beat the prisoners, causing serious injuries to the prisoner and others,” he said.
The lawyer stated, “On November 4, 2023, the prison guards stormed the prisoner’s room again and dragged him to the bathroom, where the torture continued. This time, they used a carrot and a cucumber as new torture weapons to inflict the utmost pain and humiliation on him, as they were inserted into the sensitive area of his body.”
“After these horrific nights, the prisoner realized that what he had experienced was not an isolated incident, but rather part of a recurring pattern of brutality suffered by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. His cellmates were subjected to the same torture and assaults, according to his testimony, and they were all unable to defend themselves or seek help,” he said.
According to the lawyer, “The prisoner repeatedly tried to request medical assistance, but all his requests were rejected, as he explained in his testimony, which Baloum conveyed. In light of all this torture and serious violations to which the prisoner is subjected, the lawyer, who is defending him, took the initiative to submit a request to open an immediate investigation and transfer the prisoner to another prison away from the aggressive jailers to ensure his safety and allow him to testify without fear.”
According to the lawyer, the Israeli police responded: “It referred the case to the Prisoners’ Investigation Unit, and that after receiving the complaint an investigation was opened. However, the police refused to comment on whether the prisoners involved in the torture practices against the prisoner in question had been investigated.”
Last updated: September 5, 2024 – 09:55
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2024-09-06 12:24:28