The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has released CCTV footage, reportedly showing Hamas using severe interrogation methods on Palestinian civilians to maintain control, as reported by the “New York Post”. The footage, recorded between 2018 and 2020 at a former Hamas facility in Jabalia, was obtained during recent IDF operations, according to an IDF statement.
The IDF’s statement describes the 47-minute compilation, shared on X, as evidence of Hamas’s “brutal methods” for interrogating residents and violating human rights. The footage shows individuals chained by wrists and feet, suspended from ceilings, and subjected to beatings. In some clips, civilians are seen bound and beaten while being held in cramped, unsanitary rooms.
The IDF released the footage to “Daily Mail” prior to making it public, though the news outlet was unable to independently verify the recordings.
Hamas has faced longstanding accusations of human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention and torture, particularly against civilians suspected of collaborating with Israel or opposing Hamas’s authority. Human rights organizations and advocates have frequently reported on patterns of physical and psychological abuse by Hamas, including the targeting of women, LGBTQ individuals, and political dissidents.
In a related report from 2022, “UN Watch” noted systematic human rights abuses by Hamas against activists and minority groups. Additionally, a survivor of these abuses recounted to “i24News” his experience of repeated torture, restricted food and sleep, and forced promises to abandon his sexual orientation.