I was confronted with a horrific picture in Friday’s newspaper. 3 Palestinian policeman, standing in a recuperation facility, missing 4 legs between them. The one of the left had no left leg. The guy on the right had no right leg. In the middle, the former serviceman was portraying his 2 stumps.

The photo? I was afraid that this was a brave Israeli journalist highlighting an excess by soldiers.

The main article illuminated a dark tale of horror, rarely exposed by the international press. Yes, these gentlemen were probably considered terrorists by Israel not so long ago. However, their injuries had resulted from a totally different, internecine war.

Back in August 2008, Hamas made a deliberate effort to oust Fatah-linked policemen from the Gaza region. Fatah is the main arm of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who in turn arrested many Hamas supporters. Of the Fatah fighters who fled from southern Gaza to Israel, 22 were mauled by their Hamas captives. Deep brotherly hatred overcame any human compassion.

Of the 22, 3 appeared in the photo. It was taken at the Tel Hashomer hospital outside Tel Aviv, which has treated thousands of Israeli soldiers and terror victims over the years. To quote Dr Yizhak Ziv-Nir, head of the medical team: “This is a rare opportunity to exchange the hand of friendship to our neighbours”.

The article explains what the policemen experienced in Gaza. Trampling on their own children in front of their eyes, beatings with metal rods, jumping on to blocks placed on their bodies, kneecappings, etc.

I have no idea what these people must be feeling to be treated by Israelis; Israeli doctors, who because of them and their fellow Palestinian militiamen, have become world leaders in rehabilitation. The irony!

I do know that this aid is not one off. Take the role of Save A Child’s Heart programme in south Tel Aviv, which has treated hundreds of young Palestinians with heart complications. Bethlehem hospital has aligned itself to a leading Jerusalem medical facility to treat breast cancer. And the list goes on.

The silence of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organisations on such brutality is simply sickening and hypocritical. Is some torture politically acceptable? These people are effectively refugees from Gaza, another of the ironies engulfing Middle East diplomacy.

Back in the Palestinian camp, I recall the excellent book, “Cain’s Field” by Matt Rees, author and former Time Magazine correspondent in Israel. He concluded that only when the Palestinians (and the Israelis) resolve key internal struggles will peace enter the region. The rule of Hamas has emphasised that conundrum in a most frightening manner.