GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor revealed the tragic and shocking health condition of the Palestinian prisoners released in the seventh batch of the prisoners’ exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.
In a statement on Thursday, the Monitor confirmed that the traces of torture were evident on the prisoners’ frail bodies, reflecting the extent of the systematic crimes and inhumane treatment they endured, which exceeded all moral and legal boundaries.
It said, “All evidence indicates that Israel continues to use torture as a weapon to intimidate and persecute prisoners and detainees and to break their will until the last moments of their detention.”
The Monitor pointed out that its field team documented serious injuries among the prisoners and detainees, including amputations and severe swelling resulting from torture, in addition to extreme weakness and fatigue.
It added that the released prisoners revealed that they had been subjected to brutal beatings, abuse, and continuous threats right up to the last moments before their release, despite the lack of any specific charges against the majority of them.
The rights group emphasized that the brutal torture and deliberate medical neglect faced by prisoners and detainees have reached shocking levels that surpass all moral and legal limits.
It noted that Israel’s ongoing use of brutal torture and deliberate medical neglect against Palestinian prisoners and detainees proves its systematic intent to intimidate them and break their will.
The Monitor stressed that these actions constitute blatant war crimes and crimes against humanity, as reliable information has indicated the death of dozens of prisoners inside Israeli prisons and detention centers, while Israel continues to hide any data related to them.
It called on all concerned countries and organizations to take immediate and decisive action to stop these systematic crimes, emphasizing the need to intensify human rights and media efforts to highlight the suffering of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and to work towards holding the occupiers accountable and forcing them to end these ongoing violations.
The traces of torture and abuse on the bodies of the released Palestinian prisoners were evident in the deep scars covering their hands and feet, in addition to the swellings that appeared in some parts of their bodies.
The physical status of the released prisoners showed that they had been deprived of adequate food throughout their detention, with testimonies confirming that they received minimal amounts of food, while some were denied food and sleep as a form of harsh and deliberate punishment.
The Israeli occupation authorities released the seventh batch of prisoners in the “Flood of Freedom” deal early Thursday, as part of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreements with the Palestinian resistance in Gaza Strip, after delaying their release for almost a week.
The seventh batch of the exchange deal included “the release of 642 prisoners, among them: 151 prisoners serving life sentences and long sentences, distributed as follows: 43 prisoners will be released to the West Bank and Jerusalem, 97 prisoners will be deported abroad, 11 prisoners from Gaza who were arrested before October 7, 2023, according to the Asra Media Office, in addition to 445 prisoners from Gaza detainees after October 7 and 46 female and child prisoners.”
