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Palestinian Women Prisoners Share Accounts of Inhumane Treatment, Sexual Assault

HeadlineMar 08, 2024

U.N. experts are calling for a probe into reports of sexual assault, torture and killing of Palestinian women prisoners by Israeli forces. The Palestinian Prisoner Society says an estimated 240 Palestinian women have been detained since October 7. Some of the released women have since spoken out on their traumatic experiences. This is Hadeel Al-Dahdouh, who was rounded up and arrested with a group of men in Gaza in December.

Hadeel Al-Dahdouh: “They put me and the young men in a hole in the ground. The young men were sitting opposite me. One of the soldiers took off my hijab. I started to cry. I was afraid. I asked him if I could have it back. He started to laugh at me and refused to put my hijab back on. In that instance, I was afraid and anxious. My husband was beaten. A soldier fired twice in the air and told me, 'I killed your husband.' … The tank started to throw sand toward me and the men. I was trying to get away while I was handcuffed, but the tank kept getting closer to us. I started crying, asking the soldier what will he do to us. He said, 'I want to bury you alive in this hole and let the dogs eat you.'”

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