Eight Palestinian prisoners released from Ofer Prison in the West Bank were taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. The prisoners, consisting of two women and six men, reported being tortured and threatened while in Israeli custody. Some of the men showed signs of physical abuse.
The freed prisoners appeared exhausted, with one woman unable to walk and being carried on a stretcher. They were not all arrested at the same time, with one being detained at the Kerem Shalom crossing and another arrested after visiting the West Bank with her child.
The prisoners said they were deprived of medicine and clothes, and were questioned about Hamas members and Israeli captives in Gaza. Among those released was the director of al-Shifa Hospital, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, who spoke out about the abuse faced by Palestinians in prison.
Israel had released dozens of Palestinians earlier in July, but the arrests continued as prisons were becoming full due to increased detentions after an attack in southern Israel. The Palestine Prisoners Society and Detainees and Ex-Detainees Commission reported that 9,800 Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank since the conflict in Gaza began.
The release of the prisoners shed light on the reported mistreatment and torture of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody, highlighting the ongoing human rights violations in the region.
Source
Photo credit www.aljazeera.com
