Released Palestinian detainees recount horrors in Israeli jails
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Former detainee Aalam Hijazi says “prisoners were dying every day," as the lack of food and medicine was allowing diseases to "eat their bodies."
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Israeli soldiers transfer Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip, on November 21, 2023. (AFP)
Palestinian detainees recently released by the Israeli occupation have spoken out about their ordeals at the hands of the Israeli jailers, including inhumane treatment and abuse.
Palestinians, who were detained by "Israel" without charges since the beginning of the war on Gaza, have retold harrowing tales of systemic mistreatment by prison personnel and reported being beaten by Israeli troops.
Speaking from Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, they recounted violent and degrading treatment, including blindfolding and handcuffing inmates in small cages.
"We have left but we call on you to get the rest out," implored former detainee Ataa Shbat from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza after his release.
Shbat expressed that many detainees thought they were presumed dead by their families.
"People are dying. Torture which you cannot imagine unless you taste it [experience it]. Suffering which you cannot imagine unless you experience it," he recalled.
Former detainee Aalam Hijazi stated that "prisoners were dying every day," as the lack of food and medicine was allowing diseases to "eat their bodies."
He recalled wearing the same clothing since the war began, citing that even the water was not appropriate to drink.
Read more: 24 hours of horror; how the IOF tortured 14-year-old Palestinian: DCI
The Palestinian Prisoners Society announced on Wednesday that six of the freed Palestinians were from Gaza, including orthopedic physician Adnan al-Bursh.
"Israel" has kidnapped more than 9,100 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023, according to reports. Thousands of people have "forcibly disappeared" from the restricted Gaza Strip. The occupation refuses to reveal just how many have been taken.
Last week, Israeli officials announced that they had begun transporting detainees from Sde Teiman, a former military outpost in the al-Naqab, after calls for the site's closure.
At least 18 Palestinians have died in Israeli captivity since October. Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir proposed in April the execution of Palestinian detainees as a way to address overcrowding in Israeli occupation prisons.
In a post on X, Ben-Gvir asserted that imposing the death penalty on Palestinian detainees is the "right solution" to what he described as "the incarceration problem."
UN expert demands ‘Israel’ probe troops’ torture of Palestinians
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice Jill Edwards compelled on Thursday the Israeli occupation to launch an investigation into multiple accounts of torture and other inhumane or degrading treatment of Palestinians in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023.
"The Israeli authorities must investigate all complaints and reports of torture or ill-treatment promptly, impartially, effectively and transparently," Edwards said.
"Those responsible at all levels, including commanders, must be held accountable, while victims have a right to reparation and compensation," she added.
Edwards reported receiving multiple accounts of Palestinians from the West Bank being subjected to beating, blindfolding, handcuffing, sleep deprivation, and threats of physical and sexual violence in Israeli prisons. She highlighted additional reports of prisoners being insulted, humiliated, and filmed in degrading poses, with some suffering wounds from prolonged use of zip-tie handcuffs.
"I am particularly concerned that this emerging pattern of violations, coupled with an absence of accountability and transparency, is creating a permissive environment for further abusive and humiliating treatment of Palestinians," Edwards stated.
Earlier, in April, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini accused "Israel" of subjecting thousands of Palestinians detained in the Gaza Strip to inhumane treatment, including stripping them naked and threatening them with dogs.
In January, Ajith Sunghay, head of the OHCHR Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, reported that several thousand Palestinians had been secretly detained in the Gaza Strip since October 7 and subjected to cruel treatment.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) revealed in December that it had not been granted access to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody since October 7, despite being ready to resume regular visits. Meanwhile, the Palestinian movement Hamas has repeatedly called on the ICRC to investigate these allegations of inhuman treatment.
