Its principles Gaza Strip announced today that Israel has released approximately 150 Palestinian prisoners, who had been arrested during military operations in the enclave. These people claim that they were ill-treated while in prison.
Since the start of the war against the Palestinian organization Hamas, Israeli soldiers have arrested hundreds of Palestinians, held them without charge and released some of them.
“It is obvious that these captives suffered severe ill-treatment after some of them were sent for treatment at the Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital,” Gaza border crossing service spokesman Hisham Antoan told AFP.
The Israeli army did not comment on the release of the prisoners but stressed that it is “absolutely forbidden” to mistreat prisoners.
The group of detainees was led out of Israeli territory through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, according to a reporter for AFP and the Palestinian Authority for Borders. After crossing into Palestinian territory, these people received first aid at the Rafah hospital in the southern Gaza Strip. One of the released prisoners said he and a friend were beaten and tortured during their detention.
“I remained on my knees (during the approximately two months of his detention) from 5 in the morning until 10 at night, blindfolded and handcuffed,” said the man. AFP did not release his name for security reasons. “The army unleashed dogs on us to attack us. They beat us and tortured us,” he claimed.
Last month, the border crossing agency said 56 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons “bore evidence” of being tortured in detention. The Israeli military assured at the time that “international law” was being followed in the treatment of the prisoners.
The United Nations agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) also expressed concern about the fate of Palestinian prisoners. Its director, Philippe Lazzarini, said last month that many returned “psychologically scarred” from their adventure. The ill-treatment meted out to them included threats of electric shocks, sleep deprivation and bullying with dogs.
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