UN Committee Against Torture condemns Israel’s ‘disproportionate’ response to October 7 attacks
The Jerusalem PostDEC 2
UN: Israel Implementing 'De Facto' Policy of Torture
Does Israel systematically torture Palestinians and commit genocide, or does it protect civilians while Hamas weaponizes suffering?
Above: An Israeli soldier stands on a tank near the border with the Gaza Strip on Nov. 18, 2025. Image credit: Amir Levy/Getty Images
The Spin
Anti-Israel narrative
It's clear that Israel operates a de facto state policy of organized and widespread torture against Palestinian detainees, including children as young as 12. Severe beatings, electrocution, waterboarding, sexual violence and systematic denial of medical care have resulted in 75 Palestinian deaths in custody since October 2023, yet zero Israeli officials are held accountable. The wholesale use of administrative detention without trial, combined with deliberate starvation and restriction of humanitarian aid, constitutes ongoing genocide.
Pro-Israel narrative
Israel has set unprecedented standards for protecting civilians in modern warfare through leaflets, calls, texts and warning shots before targeting terrorist infrastructure. Hamas weaponizes U.N. facilities, hides rockets in schools, launches missiles from hospitals and manufactures civilian suffering for propaganda while holding Israeli hostages. The U.N.'s selective condemnations — built on manufactured claims — ignore Hamas tunnel networks and human shields while distorting Israel's defensive actions with predetermined verdicts that represent antisemitism rebranded for a new era.