Released Palestinian prisoner describes ‘nightmare’ detention in Israeli jails

By Mohamed Majid

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - A newly freed prisoner from the Gaza Strip displayed signs of psychological distress Thursday after spending one month in Israeli prisons, a period he described as a “nightmare.”

Badr Dahlan, 30, endured “harsh conditions” inside the prisons where he reportedly faced “violations and acts of torture” before his release Thursday, according to what he told Anadolu.

He said he was arrested “about a month ago in Khan Younis" in southern Gaza and recounted being beaten in Israeli prisons and detention centers during his incarceration.

He said he does not know the whereabouts of his family and heard from others that Khan Younis was destroyed in the Israeli onslaught.

After being transferred to the Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza to be treated after his release, Dahlan indicated that he “feels like he is going to die.”

Dahlan appeared in a catastrophic psychological state with his eyes bugged and unfocused, and his speech irregular, often stuttering, indicating severe psychological disturbance as a result of torture.

The Gaza Media Office said Thursday that at least 36 prisoners from Gaza who were detained by the Israeli military since Oct. 7, have died from torture in Israeli prisons.

The Israeli army released 33 Palestinian detainees from Gaza on Thursday, according to medical sources.

“The freed detainees were admitted to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital with thin bodies and signs of torture,” said sources.

Anadolu reported that the detainees were set free in eastern Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

Since the beginning of the Israeli ground operations in Gaza on Oct. 27, Israel has detained thousands of Palestinians, including women, children and members of health and civil defense teams.

While a small number of detainees have been released, the fate of the majority remains unknown, with no official statistics available.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnations amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

More than 37,400 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 85,600 others injured, according to local health authorities.

More than eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio