Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur, states that Israel is torturing Palestinians on a scale indicating vengeance and destructive intent.
A United Nations expert has accused Israel of systematically torturing Palestinians in custody since October 7, 2023, in a report released on March 21, 2026. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, described the torture as exceptionally ruthless physical and psychological abuse.
The report, titled 'Torture and Genocide,' examines Israel's use of torture against Palestinians from the occupied Palestinian territory. It claims that such practices have been employed on an unprecedented scale as punitive collective vengeance, including brutal beatings, sexual violence, rape, lethal mistreatment, starvation, and deprivation of basic human needs.
Report Details and Statistics
Albanese gathered at least 300 testimonies for the report, which states that more than 18,500 Palestinians have been arrested since October 2023, including at least 1,500 children. Currently, about 9,000 Palestinians remain in detention, with more than 4,000 subjected to enforced disappearance.
The expert emphasized that Israel's detention system has become a regime of systemic humiliation, coercion, and terror. She urged Israel to immediately cease all acts of torture and ill-treatment, and called on all countries to intervene to stop the ongoing harm.
Albanese specifically recommended that the International Criminal Court prosecutor request arrest warrants for Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. She is set to present the report to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.
While the report focuses on Israeli conduct, Albanese noted that she condemns torture by all actors, including Palestinian armed groups. Israel, as a party to the Convention against Torture, faces scrutiny over these allegations amid existing criticisms from allies.
