Limb amputations have become "routine" for Palestinians detained at a field hospital in Israel, amid the country's war with Hamas, an Israeli doctor at the facility reportedly wrote in a letter to government officials detailing the grim conditions.
The doctor, who was not identified by name, addressed the conditions at the Sde Teiman detention center in a letter to Israel's defense minister, health minister, and attorney general, Israeli outlet Haaretz reported Thursday.
The physician described conditions that, they said, could jeopardize inmates' health and put the government in potential violation of the law.
They include injuries sustained by more than half of patients from handcuffs that are worn constantly, the doctor wrote.
The handcuffs cause serious injuries that "require repeated surgical interventions," the doctor reportedly wrote.
"Just this week, two prisoners had their legs amputated due to handcuff injuries, which unfortunately is a routine event," the physician wrote.
The letter said inmates are fed through straws, left to defecate in diapers, and are subjected to constant restraint, in violation of both medical ethics and the law.
Patients are blindfolded and handcuffed by all four limbs, regardless of how dangerous they are considered, the doctor went on to say.
"Under these conditions, in practice, even young and healthy patients lose weight after a week or two of hospitalization," they wrote.
The Sde Teiman facility was set up after the start of the Gaza war to hold Hamas terrorists, including those who took part in the Oct. 7 attacks, until they could be transported to a regular prison.
In response to the allegations made by the physician, the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit told Haaretz that detainees were given enough food and access to the restroom in accordance with their medical condition.
Palestinian prisoners are provided with diapers if their movement is restricted, the spokesperson said.
Another IDF spokesperson said that the way detainees are handcuffed is determined "in accordance with the law and according to an individual determination of the dangerousness of each detainee, with the aim of ensuring the safety of the troops and the medical staff."
An IDF spokesperson also responded to a specific incident recounted to Haaretz by three sources who said that a detainee had a hand amputated after they were left in plastic handcuffs for a prolonged period of time.
The spokesperson said that that incident was investigated, but because no criminal offense was found, it was decided not to open a military police investigation.
