Gaza Genocide24 March, 20263 min read
UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese says Israel has a license to torture Palestinians.
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Albanese says Israel has effectively been given a license to torture Palestinians. She presented the new report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
International Complicity
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese delivered a scathing indictment of international complicity in Israeli atrocities. She declared that Israel 'has effectively been given a license to torture Palestinians' during her report presentation at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Albanese presented evidence of what she termed the 'ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people,' documenting Israel's widespread and systematic use of torture.
“The UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory said Monday that Israel 'has effectively been given a license to torture Palestinians' as she presented a new report at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Launching her report, Francesca Albanese said it documents the 'ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people,' highlighting 'Israel's widespread and systematic use of torture, alongside the creation of a torturous environment against Palestinians.'”
She directly accused governments of enabling these abuses, stating that Israel's impunity stems from the fact that 'most of your governments, your ministers, have allowed it.' The rapporteur characterized this systematic abuse as having become 'state policy' since October 2023, describing a system that is 'socially produced, politically defended and publicly normalized.'
Detention Statistics
Albanese's report revealed alarming statistics documenting the scale of Israeli detention and torture practices between October 2023 and January 2026. According to the findings, Israeli forces arrested more than 18,500 Palestinians, including children, with nearly 100 dying in custody and about 4,000 remaining forcibly disappeared. Thousands have been detained without charge and held in inhuman conditions, among them doctors, journalists, and humanitarian workers who were specifically targeted.
The report characterized the detention system as part of a broader pattern of atrocity crimes, stating that 'since October 2023, torture has effectively become state policy.' This systematic approach to detention represents a calculated strategy of collective punishment and intimidation against the Palestinian population.
Torturous Environment
Beyond detention centers, Albanese described a comprehensive 'torturous environment' imposed across the occupied Palestinian territory as part of the ongoing Gaza genocide. Her report documented the systematic destruction of homes, hospitals, and infrastructure, forced displacement of entire populations, and the deliberate starvation of civilians as integral components of this strategy. Albanese presented these actions not as isolated incidents but as evidence of a coordinated campaign targeting 'the totality of the Palestinian people across the totality of the occupied land through a totality of criminal conduct.'
“She stressed that abuse extends beyond detention centers, with her report describing a 'torturous environment' imposed across the occupied Palestinian territory, including the destruction of homes, hospitals, and infrastructure, as well as forced displacement and starvation.”
She characterized the situation in stark terms, concluding that 'genocide has become the ultimate form of torture: continuous, generational and collective,' warning that the world's response would be 'a test of our collective legal and moral responsibility.'
Israeli Response
Israel swiftly rejected Albanese's report and its author, launching a fierce counterattack through its Geneva mission. In a statement issued Monday, Israel dismissed Albanese as 'not a promoter of human rights' but rather 'an agent of chaos,' characterizing her findings as 'nothing but a politically-charged, activist rant.' The Israeli mission further accused her of 'advocating dangerous extremist narratives to undermine the very existence of the State of Israel.'
These attacks reflect a pattern of sustained criticism against Albanese, who has long faced accusations of anti-Semitism and repeated demands for her removal from the role. Despite these efforts to discredit her work, Albanese emphasized that as a special rapporteur appointed by the Human Rights Council, she serves as an independent expert and does not speak on behalf of the United Nations itself.
Death Penalty Warning
Albanese issued urgent warnings about proposed Israeli legislation that would introduce the death penalty for Palestinian detainees, describing it as 'yet another dangerous escalation' in the systematic abuses. She called for immediate investigations into Israeli officials, specifically naming Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, and Israel Katz, and demanded arrest warrants where warranted.
“Albanese also warned that a proposed Israeli bill introducing the death penalty for Palestinian detainees 'marks yet another dangerous escalation,' calling for investigations into officials, including Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, and Israel Katz, and for arrest warrants where warranted.”
The rapporteur's comprehensive report represents a damning assessment of Israeli conduct in the occupied Palestinian territories, documenting what she describes as systematic torture, widespread detention, and the creation of conditions amounting to genocide. Her presentation serves as both a legal documentation of atrocities and a moral challenge to the international community to confront what she has identified as ongoing crimes against humanity.