![Thirty-two Palestinians, who were released from Israeli jails on Saturday as part of the fourth batch of the prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas, are being welcomed by their relatives and citizens in Ramallah, West Bank on February 01, 2025. [Issam Rimawi - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/AA-20250201-36927459-36927432-ISRAEL_RELEASES_32_PALESTINIANS_FROM_WEST_BANK_IN_PRISONER_SWAP_DEAL.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Abdullah Al-Zaghari, has called on the mediators of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the International Red Cross to ensure the safety and dignity of the prisoners released under the exchange deal and to put pressure on Israel to stop mistreating them, Anadolu has reported.
“Most of the released prisoners were subjected to severe and systematic torture in the days leading up to their release, in what appears to be an act of Israeli retaliation because they were being freed,” Al-Zaghari told the agency. “The majority of those freed were beaten violently and humiliated by the Israeli army and police, resulting in injuries and fractures.”
He pointed out that there are shocking testimonies of prisoners being brutally assaulted both before and after their release, particularly those freed to Gaza. “In addition to these abuses, most of the prisoners have developed various illnesses, primarily scabies, due to the harsh prison conditions.”
He described this as “evidence” of the occupation state’s attempts to break the image of the Palestinian prisoner and distort it in the eyes of their people. “The Red Cross must take responsibility for ensuring the well-being and dignity of released prisoners until they reach their homes, just as it guarantees the safe arrival of Israeli prisoners released from Gaza.”
Al-Zaghari stressed that the issue of the “mistreatment and assault” of released prisoners should be raised with the mediators to ensure their dignity, protect them from harm and improve the conditions of those still in prison.
The head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club also emphasised that this exchange deal should not conclude without restoring prison conditions to what they were before 7 October 2023.
Released Palestinian prisoners have reported starvation, physical assault and psychological torture, which is evident in their weakened appearance. In the first images of the vast majority of those freed in the past four prisoner exchange rounds, significant weight loss was noticeable due to the harsh conditions they endured in Israeli prisons.
Videos have also shown some prisoners struggling to walk due to their deteriorating health, with several being transferred directly to hospitals upon their release.
As the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hamas continues, with four rounds completed in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, the stark contrast between the health conditions of Palestinian and Israeli prisoners is very evident. Unlike the frail appearance of the freed Palestinians, the Israeli prisoners released from Gaza appeared to be in good health and well-dressed, and even received gifts upon their release.
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