Freed Palestinians recount torture, starvation, and amputations in Israeli prisons

GAZA CITY, Palestine (MNTV) — Dozens of Palestinians freed under the Gaza ceasefire deal have recounted harrowing experiences of torture, starvation, and medical neglect in Israeli prisons.

Many described severe physical abuse and untreated injuries that left them with lasting disabilities, including amputations.

According to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS), the released detainees showed clear signs of torture, starvation, and infectious diseases such as scabies, reflecting what the organization called “systematic and organized terrorism” practiced by Israeli authorities against Palestinian prisoners.

“The level of torture and starvation crimes reached an unprecedented level after October 7,” the PPS said in a statement.

The group added that several prisoners were subjected to “days of continuous beatings” leading to broken ribs, deep bruises, and untreated infections, while others were denied food, medicine, or basic hygiene for weeks.

Many were released in tattered grey jumpsuits, visibly frail, and were rushed to hospitals in Gaza upon their return.

Among the released was Sami Jaradat, 57, who had spent over two decades in Israeli prisons. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Jaradat said the conditions deteriorated drastically after October 2023, describing Israeli guards as “monstrous and Nazi-like.”

He said he lost more than 30 kilograms due to deliberate malnutrition and denied medical care despite suffering chronic illness.

“The prison service aims that no prisoner remains alive,” he said. “They deliberately neglected medical treatment — when I needed care, guards would say, ‘Let him die, we don’t care.’”

Human rights organizations, including the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, confirmed that the majority of recently freed prisoners exhibited severe health deterioration, evidence of starvation and prolonged neglect.

The Geneva-based rights group said that Israeli prisons had effectively become “institutionalized torture facilities.”

The Palestinian Authority’s Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the PPS released additional testimonies from detainees held in the Naqab and Ketziot prisons, describing the use of scabies as a “tool of torture.”

Prisoners said they were forced to live in freezing tents, often denied clothing or mattresses, and beaten when they complained of illness or pain.

Thabet Abu Khater, one of the most disturbing cases, lost his leg due to untreated infection following what he described as repeated beatings and medical neglect.

“It was deliberate,” Abu Khater told The National. “They left me to suffer until the infection spread so badly that my leg had to be amputated. The neglect was meant to kill us slowly.”

He added that the injury occurred inside a prison bathroom and that he was denied medical attention for weeks.

Another released detainee, Ibrahim Al Shawish, 45, a teacher from Beit Hanoun, recounted being stripped naked and dragged across shards of glass.

“They blindfolded us, beat us, and hurled insults at our families,” he said. “My body was torn apart, yet they refused to give me any medical help. I watched three prisoners die in front of me.”

Ibrahim Al Ghouti, 52, from Rafah, said he was left with pulmonary fibrosis due to chemical exposure in detention. “When they finally released me, I was a shell of the person I once was,” he told The National. “The doctors in the prison hospital were soldiers in disguise. I was interrogated even while barely able to breathe.”

The PPS said many detainees were threatened with death if their families held celebrations upon their release. The organization accused Israeli prison officials of committing “starvation crimes and medical torture” that amount to violations of international humanitarian law.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is also reviewing a genocide case against Israel related to its conduct during the war that killed over 67,000 Palestinians since October 2023.

Despite the international scrutiny, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said new detainees continue to face “inhumane conditions,” while those freed carry permanent scars. As Jaradat put it, “We were freed, but our bodies and souls remain imprisoned by what we endured.”