Hamas has alleged that some of the Palestinian prisoners released on Saturday were subjected to abuse and torture while in Israeli custody. The militant group has called for immediate intervention by the international community, the UN, and rights groups to address these abuses and hold the perpetrators accountable.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office reported that testimonies from released prisoners included accounts of severe beatings by guards, resulting in injuries such as broken ribs. Allegations of physical and psychological torture, systematic starvation, and deliberate medical neglect leading to the spread of diseases like scabies among the prisoners were also made.
CNN has reached out to the Israeli Prison Service for a response to these allegations. Last year, Israeli human rights group B’Tselem highlighted the testimony of over 50 released Palestinian inmates, revealing ongoing torture, abuse, inhuman conditions, and denial of basic needs like food, water, and medical care.
Of the nearly 200 Palestinians released, some were serving sentences for serious crimes. For instance, Salim Awad was jailed for a 2002 attack on the village of Homesh where three Israelis were killed, and Farih Barikat was convicted of involvement in a suicide bombing in the Israeli city of Eilat that resulted in the deaths of three civilians. Others were individuals detained during the recent conflict in Gaza but not formally charged.
