GAZA, (PIC)
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said that the deteriorating health condition of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released by Israel as part of the exchange deal during the ceasefire agreements in Gaza reflects the harsh conditions they endured during their detention, including torture, mistreatment, and degrading violations that persisted until the last moment before their release.
The Euro-Med Monitor explained in a statement on Saturday that it has been following the release of prisoners and detainees by Israeli authorities in four batches, the last of which was on Saturday. Most of them appeared to have suffered from severe health deterioration, having lost several kilograms due to what seems to be deliberate starvation.
Immediately upon their release, many of the prisoners and detainees required urgent medical transportation to hospitals, with at least one appearing unable to recognize those who came to greet him after suffering from a lack of treatment during his detention.
The Euro-Med Monitor emphasized that these conditions reflect how Israel has turned its prisons into centers for systematic torture of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including those sentenced and held before October 7, 2023.
It noted that the majority of the released detainees had been subjected to mistreatment and beatings, and they underwent psychological torture until the last moments before their release.
The Euro-Med Monitor said that its field team documented instances where Israeli forces forced many detainees to shave their heads as a humiliating and deliberate act aimed at degrading them and breaking their spirits, in addition to forcing them to wear prison uniforms and subjecting them to beatings and violence before and during their transport in buses.
It also mentioned that Israeli occupation forces released all prisoners and detainees under extremely poor conditions, which included assaults on gatherings of their relatives who were there to welcome them, suppressing them with live ammunition and tear gas, leading to injuries among some, as well as storming their homes and the places designated for their reception and celebration of their release.
The Monitor indicated that the testimonies it documented from the released prisoners reveal that the violations by prison administrations have exceeded poor detention conditions, transforming into a systematic retaliatory policy targeting all Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
It confirmed that the situation inside prisons has witnessed unprecedented deterioration since October 7, 2023, as detainees have been subjected to severe torture, deliberate starvation, and long-term solitary confinement, as part of punitive measures that escalated brutally following the events in Gaza, attempting to punish them for events they had no connection to, other than being Palestinian.
The testimonies documented by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor revealed that Israeli occupation forces subjected released detainees to torture and beating, holding them for long hours in buses with their hands bound before their release. They were also subjected to insults and derogatory remarks aimed at undermining their human dignity until the very last moments before their release.
Released prisoner Haitham Jaber from the village of Haris in Salfit reported that Israeli forces took them a day before their scheduled release and forcibly shaved their hair. He added that the prison administration informed him he needed to shave his hair, which he refused, leading them to forcefully shave it all off. Jaber said, “Prisoners live in very harsh conditions, and even in the final moments, we faced the worst types of abuse and torture, and humiliation of our dignity.”
He noted that the guards treated the detainees like “animals,” forcing them to stand in a single line in a humiliating manner, and at times they were made to crawl on all fours. Furthermore, they were denied basic rights such as water, with only one bottle allocated for each room over 24 hours, while the toilets were completely devoid of water, hindering their ability to fulfill their needs.
Released prisoner Wael Al-Natsha, who has been imprisoned since 2000 with a life sentence, stated, “They played with our nerves; we were taken to the buses and then returned to prison for three hours without knowing any information or the reason, which caused stress and confusion. We thought they would distribute us to prison sections after misleading us about major problems in the exchange that were hard to resolve, only to find out later it was just a psychological game.”
He mentioned that the prisoners slated for release were gathered in Ofer prison, having been previously informed that their release would be last Saturday. However, they were detained in prison for nearly a week. He reported that the last 16 months saw the prison administration launch a “fierce attack” on prisoners, involving starvation, beating, mistreatment, sleeping in the cold, and confiscation of clothing and blankets.
One of the children met by the Euro-Med Monitor, who was released in northern West Bank (the Monitor refrains from mentioning his name for safety reasons), reported that conditions in the prisons were extremely bad, and the suffering affected everyone, especially the beatings and malnutrition. He explained that he was forced to sign a pledge not to speak, under the threat of being re-arrested if he violated it.
The Euro-Med Monitor emphasized that these practices, documented in the testimonies of those released, represent a flagrant violation of human rights and the rights of prisoners and detainees guaranteed under international law, reflecting the “abuse and humiliation” and “systematic starvation and torture” they endured during their detention and upon their release.
It also warned that the abuses are not limited to physical harm but extend to devastating psychological effects on prisoners and detainees, exacerbating their suffering and leading to long-term psychological deterioration.
Furthermore, the conditions faced by detainees upon their release, along with their descriptions of prisons as “tombs for the living,” clearly illustrate a systematic Israeli policy aimed at destroying the will of Palestinians and inflicting maximum pain and humiliation upon them, in violation of international human rights standards and humanitarian law.
The Euro-Med Monitor called on all concerned countries and international entities to take urgent and decisive action to stop the systematic and widespread crimes of killing, torture, and other serious violations committed by Israel against Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
It also stressed the need for the immediate and unconditional release of those arbitrarily detained, calling for the prompt access of international and local organizations to visit the detainees and enable them to appoint lawyers. Additionally, it demanded pressure on Israel to stop all forms of arbitrary detention, including administrative detention, which represents a blatant violation of basic human rights and reflects a repressive policy aimed at destroying Palestinian will and community fabric while depriving them of their legal rights.
The Euro-Med Monitor urged all relevant countries and parties to conduct an immediate and independent investigation into these crimes and serious violations and take all necessary legal measures to pursue and prosecute the occupying leaders responsible for committing these crimes.
It also called on all concerned countries to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating these crimes and to submit specialized reports to the ICC regarding the crimes faced by Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons and detention centers, especially after October 7, 2023. It demanded the issuance of arrest warrants for all responsible parties and their prosecution in the ICC for these crimes.
The Euro-Med Monitor emphasized that the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation army and other Israeli security forces against Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. They also represent acts of genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, especially as they are carried out brutally and systematically against Palestinians with the aim of eliminating them as a group, including through killing and inflicting severe physical and psychological harm, including torture, mistreatment, and sexual violence, including rape.
The Euro-Med Monitor called on the international community to pressure Israel to immediately stop committing the crime of enforced disappearance against Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza, to disclose all secret detention camps, and to reveal the names of all Palestinian detainees from the Strip, as well as their fate and places of detention, and to assume full responsibility for their lives and safety.
In the same context, the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office said that testimonies from released prisoners reveal the extent of the crimes they faced before their release, including severe beatings for consecutive days at the hands of the guards, resulting in several of them suffering from broken ribs.
The Office emphasized in a statement on Saturday that these brutal practices reflect the level of persecution faced by prisoners in Israeli jails, which has escalated to unprecedented levels since October 7. This includes physical and psychological torture, systematic starvation, and deliberate medical neglect that has led to outbreak of diseases, including scabies among the prisoners.
It pointed out that the transfer of several released prisoners directly to hospitals for treatment after spending years in captivity underscores the horrific conditions they endure in the oppressive prisons, where the occupation employs brutal methods of torture that violate international norms and laws regarding prisoners.
The Office affirmed that the torture, repression, and persecution suffered by Palestinian prisoners amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, warranting immediate intervention from the international community, the United Nations, and all human rights and humanitarian organizations to stop these crimes and ensure accountability for the perpetrators.