Freed Palestinian prisoners burned the uniforms they were forced to wear by Israeli authorities, which were marked with a blue Star of David and inscribed with the phrase: “We do not forget, and we do not forgive,” an Al Mayadeen correspondent reported on Saturday.

In response, Islamic Jihad strongly condemned what it described as a “new racist crime” by Israeli forces against the released detainees, stating that branding their bodies with “racist symbols like the Star of David and the Israeli prison authority’s emblem” constitutes “a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian laws.”

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Israel forced the Palestinian prisoners to wear a shirt with the star of David and the words “we don’t forger, we don’t forgive” before their release.

Later on the Palestinian families burned the shirts that Palestinian prisoners were forced to wear. pic.twitter.com/bLYRY4x7Fp

— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) February 15, 2025

The movement further denounced Israeli media for “deliberately broadcasting these images in an attempt to break the spirit of our free prisoners.” It stated that this “racist and inhumane behavior exposes the true face of the occupation, its blind hatred, and its deep sense of defeat before the resilience of the resistance forces that have imposed their terms despite its brutality and crimes.”

Islamic Jihad contrasted the occupation's treatment of Palestinian prisoners with how the resistance handled Israeli captives, saying: “The world has witnessed how the resistance treated enemy prisoners with dignity, releasing them in a manner that resembled an honorable farewell, without harming any of them—unlike the systematic humiliation our heroic prisoners have endured.”

The movement reaffirmed that such practices “will not break our people’s will or change the reality that the occupation is doomed to end and that resistance will continue until its defeat and the liberation of our brave prisoners, who are the shining stars of our cause.”

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Meanwhile, Hamas also condemned the occupation's branding of prisoners with racist markings and its harsh treatment of detainees, calling it a blatant violation of international laws and norms. The movement emphasized its unwavering commitment to ethical principles in handling captured Israeli soldiers.

In response to the backlash, the Israeli Kan public broadcaster claimed that “the political leadership was unaware of the prison authority’s decision to impose this uniform on detainees,” acknowledging that the move was problematic given the Israeli occupation's efforts to portray its release of Palestinian prisoners in contrast to Hamas’ handling of Israeli captives.

On Saturday, 369 Palestinian prisoners were liberated from Israeli prisons as part of the sixth batch of the ongoing prisoner exchange deal, with many welcomed by their families in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Hamas welcomes liberation

Hamas welcomed the release of several Palestinian prisoners in the sixth exchange batch, calling it a major achievement in the Palestinian people's ongoing struggle for liberation. 

In a statement issued on Saturday, Hamas reaffirmed that liberating Palestinian prisoners remains a fundamental priority for both the Palestinian people and the Resistance, stressing that the fight will not end until all detainees are freed from Israeli prisons.

The statement also held "Israel" fully responsible for honoring the terms of the prisoner exchange and adhering to humanitarian protocols. It warned that "Israel" must immediately proceed with the second phase of negotiations without obstruction or delay.

Hamas noted that the unity of the Palestinian people and their resistance is the key to defeating Zionist plans of displacement, just as they have shattered past occupation schemes.

Read more: 'Undefeated Hamas humiliates Israel': Israeli media says on exchange 5