Palestinian Prisoners Freed by Israel Show Signs of ‘Unprecedented Torture, Starvation’: PPS

Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails show signs of “unprecedented” torture and starvation, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) said following the fourth batch that was released on Saturday under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.

183 Palestinians were released from Israeli prisons. They were seen wearing stained grey prison jumpsuits and exhibiting signs of years of detention.

“Every time prisoners are released, we find the prisoners’ bodies reflecting the level of crimes committed against them, including torture that is unprecedented in its level after October 7, starvation crimes, systematic medical crimes, and the infection of a number of them with scabies, in addition to the severe beatings that the prisoners were subjected to before their release, which continued for days according to many of their testimonies, and which in some cases led to rib fractures,” the organisation said in a statement.

“The Prisoner’s Society confirms again that the occupation practices organized terrorism against the released prisoners and their families, through several methods that have been monitored, the most prominent of which are the severe beatings that the released prisoners were subjected to, and the threats that reached the point of killing if any reception party was organized or if the family showed any sign of reception.”

Palestinian detainees were released handcuffed with their hands above their heads with a band that read: “The people of eternity do not forget.”

Hamas said the “abuse and torture” Palestinian prisoners endured “confirms the ugliness of what [they] are subjected to” in Israeli prisons.

It added in a statement that its military wing, the Qassam Brigades, did not fail to provide the necessary healthcare to Israeli captives despite the conditions in Gaza, including Israel’s relentless bombing and attacks that killed more than 47,000 people in the besieged enclave since October 2023.

“The good physical and psychological condition of the enemy’s prisoners proves the values ​​of our resistance and its moral commitment towards the prisoners, while the criminal occupation commits the most heinous violations against our prisoners in jails,” the group said.

A Palestinian prisoner, Hussam Shahin, will be transferred to hospital after he underwent surgery without anaesthesia while in jail, local sources said.

15 months of Israeli bombardment have reduced buildings to rubble and ash, leaving large areas of Gaza uninhabitable. Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and a prisoner release deal, which was implemented on January 19.

In the first phase of the deal, Hamas is expected to return a total of 33 Israeli captives. The exact number of Palestinians due to be released as part of the ceasefire deal is still unknown, with reported estimates ranging from approximately 1,000 to nearly 2,000.

The second phase of ceasefire negotiations is due to begin on Tuesday.

The ceasefire deal is set to roll out in three phases and includes sending in many more humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza to alleviate the disaster in the enclave.

The first stage will last 42 days as Israeli forces pull out of parts of Gaza.

Related Articles

Back to top button