The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has released CCTV footage purportedly showing brutal interrogation tactics and extreme measures Hamas operatives subject Palestinian civilians to control them, reported the New York Post. The footage, captured between 2018 and 2020 in northern Gaza, was retrieved from a former Hamas base in Jabalia and sheds light on the terror group's tactics, the IDF said in a statement.
“The materials uncovered, expose Hamas's brutal methods for interrogating civilians, violating human rights, and systematically oppressing residents suspected of opposing the organization's rule,” read the IDF statement.
The nearly 47-minute video compilation, shared by the IDF on X, shows interrogators chaining suspects by their wrists and feet, suspending them from ceilings, covering their heads with sacks, and inflicting beatings during questioning.
Some civilians, bound by their wrists and ankles, can be seen suspended upside down as interrogators strike their soles with sticks. In some visuals, detainees struggle to stand on one foot while the other leg is restrained, adding to the physical torment. The footage also shows detainees in cramped, dark, and unsanitary rooms, often with interrogators ignoring them or casually conversing among themselves.
Before releasing the footage to the public, the IDF provided the clips to the Daily Mail, which said that it was unable to independently verify the videos.
Hamas has long been accused of targeting civilians suspected of collaborating with Israel or opposing the group's authority. Human rights groups and advocates have reported incidents of arbitrary detention, with allegations of torture and repression.
In 2022, UN Watch highlighted patterns of abuse by Hamas against human rights activists, women, LGBTQ individuals, and political opponents, describing systematic punishments in the form of physical and psychological abuse.
A survivor of such abuses, interviewed by i24News in 2022, recounted the repeated torture he endured after being identified as gay. “They would torture me so badly,” he said, adding his feet were tied and beaten with sticks, alongside further restrictions on food, sleep, and bathroom access. “They made me swear on the Quran that I won't be gay again,” he added.
