UPDATE - Hamas condemns torture of 6 Palestinians in Israeli prisons

ADDS TESTIMONIES

By Mohammed Ragawi

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Hamas condemned the torture of six Palestinians, including two women, who were released from Israeli prisons Thursday.

In a statement, the Palestinian resistance group cited testimonies from the released detainees given to Anadolu. The detainees reported experiencing “severe torture and brutal beatings throughout their detention.”

Hamas said the torture inflicted on the detainees “highlights the conditions faced by thousands of prisoners and detainees in Israeli occupation and Nazi-style detention centers.”

It emphasized that such torture is carried out “by human beasts devoid of any human values, inflicting the most heinous forms of abuse on innocent and defenseless people.”

It said the released detainees “showed signs of poor health due to torture, neglect, starvation, insults and deprivation of sleep, underscoring the urgent need for serious action to expose what is happening in Israeli prisons and to rescue thousands of Palestinians detained in these so-called Nazi-style jails.”

Earlier in the day, the Israeli army released six Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip, according to witnesses.

Two women were among the detainees who were set free at the Kissufim military checkpoint east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, they said.

“They were taken by Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital due to their bad state of health,” one of the witnesses told Anadolu.

“The released Gazans were barely able to walk due to extreme fatigue, exhaustion and pain resulting from torture, malnutrition and lack of sleep," he added.

- Horrible accounts

Testimonies provided by the released Gazans showed they were subjected to “beating torture, humiliation and constant interrogation during their detention.”

“We endured severe torture and brutal beatings throughout our 30-day detention, which were some of the hardest days and moments of my life,” Mohammad Yahya Al-Louh, one of the released Palestinians, told Anadolu.

“From the moment we were arrested, our eyes were blindfolded and our hands and feet were shackled. Interrogations and torture sessions were continuous, including electrocution,” he added.

Mohammad Adel Abu Shaar, another released detainee, described the methods of torture as “harsh and inhumane, never ceasing during our time in Israeli prisons.”

“The Israeli army deliberately hit prisoners on the back, spine and abdomen with weapons and batons and used electric rods in sensitive areas and inside the mouth, often breaking teeth from the severe blows to the face,” he added.

Mohammad Al-Zaanin recounted that “the occupation soldiers opened fire on us after our release to prevent us from stopping to run, even though we were exhausted and unable to walk.”

“The army deliberately unleashed ferocious dogs on us as part of the torture, and I saw more than 150 prisoners who had limbs amputated,” he said.

One of the released Palestinian women, Fatima Abu Musa, said she was arrested inside Israel while accompanying her sick sister and was sentenced to 60 days in prison.

“I spent 45 days living a life of humiliation in Israeli prisons, where there were no clean bathrooms, no sufficient food, clothes, or personal hygiene products,” she said.

The Israeli army is believed to have detained thousands of Gazans during its ongoing offensive on the Palestinian enclave.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

Nearly 39,200 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 90,400 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, 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, which ordered it 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