The holding of hostages in captivity in the Gaza Strip is a form of torture and inhumane treatment, a UN expert said on Tuesday, calling for their immediate and unconditional release.
Of the 251 people abducted in the Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, 97 are still being held in Gaza, 33 of whom have been declared dead by the army.
“Taking and holding hostages are internationally wrongful acts and also constitute forms of torture and inhuman treatment,” Special Rapporteur on torture Alice Jill Edwards said in a statement.
“People should never be used as bargaining chips (…) for political purposes,” said the expert, who was mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but did not speak on behalf of the organisation.
The distress of the hostages’ families is also “torture (…) as recognized by international courts,” she noted.
“As time passes, the threats to the lives and well-being of the hostages intensify, and the urgency of action to secure their release and end the war increases,” Edwards said, adding that she was “extremely concerned” by allegations of sexual violence against women held hostage in Gaza.
She said she had written to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas about the hostages. The statement said she had also raised allegations of torture and ill-treatment by Israel of Palestinian detainees, reiterating her call for “the prompt release of all Palestinians arbitrarily detained.”
