The Arab League on Sunday condemned what it described as systematic torture and repression of Gaza detainees in the Rakafet wing of Ramla Prison, saying several prisoners had been burned and injured. In a statement, the league said these actions were a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, including the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, as well as the Convention against Torture and the basic principles for the treatment of prisoners. It described the practices as crimes against humanity and called for sanctions. The organization demanded an immediate halt to repressive practices against Palestinian prisoners and called for them to be treated in accordance with international human rights law. It also called for the International Committee of the Red Cross to be granted unrestricted access to the prison, the immediate release of sick and injured prisoners, and an end to all forms of arbitrary detention. Israeli forces arrested five Palestinians during raids on homes in the occupied West Bank on Sunday. A UN report published last May said that more than 9,000 Palestinians were being held in Israeli detention, 40 percent of them in administrative detention. They included around 3,200 Palestinians from the West Bank and 1,300 Gazans held as “unlawful combatants.” An estimated 2,200 are serving sentences after conviction. “Israel’s actions are a continuation of its crimes against humanity. They have been carrying out a genocide since 2023,” former Assistant Foreign Minister Salah Halima told Arab News. He said Israel sought to eliminate the Palestinian cause through the forced displacement of Palestinians, adding that the international community must assume responsibility for what he described as repeated crimes. Former Assistant Foreign Minister Gamal Bayoumi told Arab News that sanctions should be imposed on Israel. “We consistently call for the reform of the UN to stand against these Israeli practices targeting the children of Palestine,” he said. Bayoumi said the Arab League’s position has always been clear: international law must be applied to Israel, which he accused of committing acts of genocide against Palestinians. Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a meeting in Cairo last week that the credibility of the international system was being determined by events in Gaza. Fahmy warned that the ceasefire remained fragile, citing the killing of more than 1,500 Palestinians since it took effect. He called for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, the preservation of the territorial integrity of the Occupied Territories, and continued support for the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The two officials also discussed Lebanon as the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon approaches its end.