Israel releases 12 Palestinian detainees from Gaza, including 2 women

Demonstrators, carrying photos of Palestinian prisoners, protest against Israel’s practices against Palestinian prisoners to mark “Palestinian Prisoners’ Day” in Hebron, West Bank on April 17, 2025. [Mamoun Wazwaz – Anadolu Agency]

Israel’s military has released a dozen Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip, in the latest such move to make room for the thousands of Palestinians churned through the occupation’s detention system.

According to witnesses cited by Palestinian media outlets, Israeli occupation forces released 12 Palestinian detainees – including two women – yesterday, handing them over after an unspecified amount of time in captivity.

The release was confirmed by Gaza’s Prisoners’ Media Office, although it did not provide details regarding the former detainees’ health condition.

The freed prisoners were reportedly transferred by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza’s central city of Deir Al-Balah in order to receive urgent medical attention.

Palestinian detainees who are released are often found in a severely deteriorated condition, with emaciated bodies bearing numerous signs of torture by Israeli prison and camp authorities. Rape and sexual assaults are also rampant against detainees from Gaza.

More than 9,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli jails in addition to an unknown number of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who have been disappeared since October 2023.

READ: Israel intends to re-arrest released Palestinian prisoners, media reports claim

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