DayofPal– The Prisoners’ Media Office reported on Saturday evening that Palestinian prisoners recently released from Israeli detention and transferred to Gaza are suffering from severe physical and psychological effects of systematic torture.
In a statement, the office confirmed that the freed prisoners were immediately taken to the European Hospital in southern Gaza for urgent medical examinations due to the abuse and mistreatment they endured during their imprisonment.
Several former detainees recounted the inhumane conditions inside Israeli prisons. Shadi Fakhri Barghouti, who spent 45 years behind bars, described the imprisonment conditions as “extremely harsh.” He revealed that Israeli authorities systematically deprived prisoners of food and medical care, subjected them to repeated humiliation, raided their cells, and confiscated their personal belongings.
Barghouti stated that he lost approximately 35 kilograms due to deliberate starvation policies imposed on prisoners. He also confirmed that detainees were denied the right to practice their religious rituals, including daily prayers and Friday prayers.
“What is happening in Israeli prisons is slow death,” Barghouti said, calling for greater attention to the suffering of Palestinian prisoners.
Former detainee Rushdi Abu Ramouz, who spent two years in Israeli custody, likened the experience of prisoners to the story of the People of the Cave due to the extreme isolation and harsh conditions they endured.
“I can’t believe I’m standing here without handcuffs,” he said, reflecting on the harsh reality of imprisonment.
Another released prisoner, Youssef Al-Mabhuh, described the recent period of Israeli aggression as the worst in the history of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement. He reported severe abuses, including physical assaults on prisoner leaders, beatings, starvation, and systematic torture.
Al-Mabhuh stated that he was subjected to severe beatings, stripped of his clothes, shackled for 48 consecutive hours, starved, and pepper-sprayed. He also suffers from fractured ribs and other bone injuries.
A former detainee from Gaza further detailed the extent of torture inflicted on Gaza prisoners, stating that diseases, particularly scabies, spread rapidly among inmates due to unsanitary conditions and lack of medical care.
Prisoners suffered from festering wounds and skin infections, in addition to physical abuse and denial of religious practices.
One of the released prisoners, currently receiving medical treatment in Gaza, described his experience in Israeli custody as “a grave”, saying that freedom felt like being reborn.
He highlighted the systematic medical negligence, where prisoners were denied essential medicines and healthcare, leading to severe health complications.
Another freed detainee confirmed that during December, four prisoners from Gaza died in Israeli prisons due to torture, starvation, and water deprivation.
The testimonies of these released prisoners highlight the urgent need for international intervention to address the ongoing human rights violations faced by thousands of Palestinians still held in Israeli detention.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=60495
