DaysofPal – In a desperate attempt to identify their loved ones among the more than 100 bodies Israel sent back to Gaza this week, dozens of Palestinians are looking through photos of mutilated corpses that were returned from Israeli prisons. The majority of the bodies were only tagged with numbers rather than names.
Bodies Returned “Blindfolded and Bound”
Forensic teams say many of the bodies bear unmistakable signs of torture: broken bones, missing limbs and teeth, burns, and rope marks around the neck. Some of the dead were still blindfolded and handcuffed.
“These crimes cannot be hidden,” said Dr. Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza’s Ministry of Health. “They did not die naturally; they were executed while restrained, a war crime demanding an urgent international investigation.”
Medical sources and witnesses at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital confirmed that the bodies were severely abused. One local official, Sameh Hamad, said one corpse arrived with a rope still around its neck.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society accused Israel of executing dozens of detainees. Raed Mohammad Amer, one of the organization’s representatives, said that despite Israeli promises to investigate, “many cases remain open, and justice remains elusive.”
Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHRI) said it was “not surprised” by the state of the bodies. “We have documented hundreds of cases of torture, beatings, and deaths inside Israeli prisons,” said Naji Abbas, who leads the group’s prisoners and detainees department.
“Some autopsies showed signs of violence even months after death. These are clear cases of execution and systematic abuse.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which coordinated the transfer of bodies, declined to comment on their condition, saying only that its priority was the “dignified transfer of remains.” Israel’s military and prison authorities have not responded to requests for comment.
Survivors Emerge Broken and Unrecognizable
As Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank as part of a ceasefire deal, many returned home bearing the marks of months of physical and psychological abuse.
Some were so malnourished and injured that they were taken directly from transport vehicles to hospitals. Freed detainee Mahmoud Abu Foul told Al Jazeera he lost his eyesight after a brutal beating that left him unconscious for hours.
Another, Kamal Abu Shanab, said his weight dropped from 127 to 68 kilograms. “He was unrecognizable,” his niece Farah said, crying as she saw him.
Others described sleeping upright because of injuries from repeated beatings. “I can’t lie on my back,” said freed prisoner Salem Eid.
Reports of torture in Israeli prisons have persisted for decades, but rights groups say they have intensified since Israel’s war on Gaza began. In August 2024, Israeli watchdog B’Tselem described the prison system as a “network of torture camps,” detailing sexual assault, deliberate starvation, sleep deprivation, and the denial of medical care.
One particularly shocking case documented last year involved the gang rape of a Palestinian prisoner by guards at Israel’s Sde Teiman detention facility. Verified footage showed guards concealing the act from cameras with their shields before attacking the victim, who was left unable to walk.
Beyond physical brutality, released detainees described psychological torment, being falsely told that their families had been killed or returning home to discover that those threats were true.
The Case of Marwan Barghouti
Among the approximately 9,000 Palestinians still detained in Israel is prominent political leader Marwan Barghouti, often dubbed “the Palestinian Mandela.” Convicted by Israel in 2004, Barghouti has long advocated nonviolent resistance and a two-state solution but remains imprisoned under harsh conditions.
His son, Arab Barghouti, said his father was beaten unconscious in September and shown an electric chair by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who allegedly told him it was “his fate.”
Ben-Gvir, who oversees Israel’s prison system, has publicly defended the harsh treatment of Palestinian detainees, declaring that “summer camps and patience for terrorists are over.”
Human rights groups and Palestinian officials have called for an immediate international investigation into the deaths and treatment of detainees.
“They were blindfolded, bound, and burned. This is not war; it’s execution,” said Dr. al-Bursh. “Every one of these bodies is proof of a crime.”
With the majority of the dead still unidentified and the living bearing permanent scars, Palestinians say Israel’s prison system has become a symbol of systematic dehumanization and of a justice system that, as one survivor put it, “beats you until you forget you were ever human.”
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