The Horrific Experience of Khalid Hammude
Living in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip and working as a surgeon at the Indonesian Hospital Khalid Hammudeh (34) recounted his horrific experiences in the “Sde Teiman Detention Center.” According to Hammude, Israel’s inhumane treatment of Palestinian prisoners reveals a complete disregard for human rights and international law.
Hammude, who has been busy treating the wounded since the start of the attacks on Gaza on October 7, 2023, lost his father, wife, daughter and neighbors in the process. His mother and many relatives were injured. He was also injured by shrapnel and received treatment at the Kamal Advan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. His experiences during his detention were also reflected in a report by the Israeli human rights center B’Tselem.
Torture and Insults
The occupying Israeli soldiers asked Hammude and the other prisoners to take off their clothes. Hammude said, “We were also asked to take off our underwear, we were marched on the streets like this to go to the camp set up in Beit Lahiya and our photos were taken in the camp.” He later stated that the occupying soldiers kept hundreds of people together.
“They handcuffed my hands with plastic handcuffs, then attacked us, beat us and insulted us. One of the soldiers accused me of being ‘Hamas’ and said, ‘Let (Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Yahya) Sinwar come and help me,'” Hammude said.
The Terrifying Journey
After gathering the prisoners in a camp, the occupying soldiers loaded many people into a truck and sent them on a frightening journey. “The weather was very cold, we could not move. I did not know where I was or who was with me. Anyone who dared to speak was kicked and beaten with guns by the soldiers. We were on a frightening journey into the unknown, ” Hammude added.
After Israeli soldiers took them out of Gaza, they took them out of the truck and forced them to put their heads on the ground in the square, with their hands and eyes tied. “We stayed like that for about two hours. “The soldiers were beating every prisoner who moved,” he said. When asked about his profession, Hammudeh said he was a surgeon at Indonesian Hospital. “He jumped on me and kicked me hard several times,” he said.
Detention Center and Release
The Palestinian doctor stated that they were then put on a truck and taken to a detention center. He said that he was held in this place called “Sde Teiman” for 21 days and was released on January 2, 2024. Hammude stated that they were forced to stay on their knees for three days from the moment they arrived at the prison and that They did not know how much time had passed.
Three days later, he was given the job of prison sergeant and acted as a mediator between prisoners and guards because he spoke English and had no security record. The soldiers prevented the prisoners from sleeping and gave them only a breakfast of bread, jam and a piece of cheese. He noted that those who tried to talk to other prisoners were punished and handcuffed.
Release Process
When Kerem was brought to the Abu Salim Border Gate, Hammude’s handcuffs and blindfold were removed and he was forced to walk approximately 3 kilometers until he reached the Rafah Border Gate, where a United Nations (UN) vehicle was waiting for the captives.
Torture and Violations
Israeli media have reported that since October 7, the bodies of 1,500 Palestinians have been held in the Sde Teiman Detention Center in the Negev Desert, which has been in the news for torture and abuse. “In the early months of the attacks on Gaza, bodies of clearly Arabs but whose identities have not been determined were found,” a ministry official told Haaretz.
The official said that the relatives of the bodies were found had not contacted the police and that around 1,500 Hamas bodies were being held in Sde Teiman, where the bodies were being transported. In May, five Israeli human rights organizations also submitted a petition demanding the immediate closure of the Sde Teiman Detention Center. The Civil Rights Association called for “an end to the torture of detainees at Sde Teiman and the closure of the center.” The association also reported that evidence had accumulated that surgical operations were performed at the center without anesthesia and that details were held in harsh conditions for days.
