60 Palestinian prisoners return to Gaza after Israeli release
Key Takeaways
- Sixty Palestinian prisoners were released and returned to Gaza.
- Emotional reunions took place at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.
- Released detainees described harsh conditions during their detention.
Dozens of released Palestinians reunited with their families in Khan Younis after leaving Israeli detention, with several describing harsh conditions during their captivity.
Sixty Palestinian prisoners arrived at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis on Monday after being released from Israeli detention, marking one of the largest prisoner releases since the end of the war.
A bus carrying the released prisoners arrived under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Emotional scenes unfolded as relatives embraced and kissed family members after months in detention.
Released prisoner Atef Wadi described what he said were the conditions inside Israeli custody.
"It was beyond description. We were subjected to various kinds of repression, the count (an Israeli procedure followed in prisons that involves counting prisoners in cells as a precaution against any of them escaping), and provocation," he said.
Another released prisoner, Fayez Abu Al-Omrain, said the final hours before the transfer were especially difficult.
"They kept our hands bound in handcuffs from seven in the morning until one o'clock (in the afternoon), when they handed us over (to the Red Cross), and at that time we were waiting on the buses. In addition, they (Israeli security personnel) were running after us and trying to beat us," he recalled.
Palestinian media reported that the group included 20 labourers who had been working in Israel before being arrested after the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Forty of the released prisoners had reportedly been held at the Negev desert prison in southern Israel.
Israeli media, citing the military, reported that the released detainees were "not considered terrorists" and that investigations into them had been closed.
Human rights organisations say Israeli authorities are currently holding around 1,300 Gazans under the designation of "unlawful combatants."
The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas-led attacks killed 1,139 people, most of them Israeli civilians, and more than 200 others were abducted.
In response, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza involving airstrikes and a ground offensive. According to local health authorities, 73,329 people had been killed and 174,009 injured at the time of publication.
In January, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff announced the second phase of President Donald Trump's 20-point plan to end the conflict, which includes moving from a ceasefire to disarmament, establishing a technocratic administration and beginning reconstruction.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
