Palestinians recently released from Israeli prisons as part of a prisoner exchange have shared harrowing accounts of abuse, torture, and inhumane treatment during their detention. Many say they were stripped naked, beaten, and left in freezing conditions without medical care.
Over the past several weeks, Israel has released approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees in exchange for 38 hostages freed by Hamas. The deal, brokered as part of a ceasefire agreement, temporarily halted a devastating conflict that had raged for over a year, leaving Gaza in ruins.
Human rights organizations have long accused Israel of mistreating Palestinian prisoners, with reports from Amnesty International and the United Nations documenting cases of physical and psychological abuse. Amnesty’s findings, published in November 2023, included testimonies of detainees being stripped and beaten, while the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, previously stated that Israeli authorities may have committed “appalling acts” such as waterboarding and the use of attack dogs against prisoners.
Israel has denied these accusations, insisting that its treatment of detainees aligns with international legal standards. The Israeli military has not commented on the latest claims.
Among those released was Ibrahim Al Shawish, a 45-year-old teacher from Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. Arrested in December 2023 while at a school, he says he endured relentless abuse in multiple detention centers.
“They stripped us naked in the cold and interrogated us under unbearable conditions,” he recalled. “It was a living nightmare.”
He described being blindfolded and dragged across broken glass, his body left gashed and bruised. Soldiers hurled insults at him and his family as he lay bleeding, denied any medical treatment.
“My body was torn apart, yet they refused to help me,” he said, his voice trembling with emotion. “I suffered in silence as my wounds became infected and my pain stretched on for weeks.”
As more former detainees share their experiences, human rights groups continue to call for independent investigations into Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners.