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SvennoJ on 15 February 2025
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‘Palestinians released from Israeli captivity are in very bad shape'

Half of those [Palestinian prisoners] released to the West Bank were taken to hospital. We have seen that time and time again whether it is in the occupied West Bank or in Gaza.

Palestinians released from Israeli captivity are in very bad shape. They speak of malnutrition, of going hungry; for the past 15 months of being deprived of even hygiene products. Only being allowed to shower every 10 days for a minute as per the command of the former Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

They talk about beatings, mistreatment even in those last hours of their release … they were told not to speak to the media, not to celebrate in any way their release.

They were threatened with assassination even if they resume any activity. That’s why a lot of those who were released today in Ramallah apologised for not speaking to the media. They spoke openly about being monitored, about not being allowed to speak.

Their health is clearly ailing because of those months of mistreatment.


A former Palestinian prisoner with a cane in his right hand is hugged by a man as he prepares to step out of a bus in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on February 8


Israel dresses Palestinian prisoners in shirts with Star of David: Report

Before their release, the Israel Prison Service has made Palestinians prisoners wear outfits with Arabic written on them: “We will not forget or forgive.

According to Israeli state media, the authority shared photos of the hundreds of Palestinian prisoners set for release in shirts featuring its logo, a Star of David and the sentence in question.


‘Images of prisoners underscore Israel’s dehumanisation’ of Palestinians

As we previously reported, the Israel Prison Service has published images of Palestinian prisoners forced to wear shirts that read, “We do not forget, and we do not forgive”, before their release.

Mohamad Elmasry, professor in the media studies programme at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, called the photographs “stunning”. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said this was “another method” under which Israel intends to “dehumanise” Palestinians.

Elmasry noted that 333 of the Palestinians being released today were arrested without any charge.

“These are people who by Israel’s own admission have not committed a crime. And this is the case with thousands of Palestinians who are in jail right now [under] administrative detention,” he said, adding it was well-documented that many of the Palestinian prisoners are treated horribly inside Israeli prisons.


Buses carrying 333 freed Palestinian prisoners arrive in Gaza’s Khan Younis

A convoy of buses has arrived in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, carrying 333 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails.


Freed Palestinians welcomed by loved ones in Gaza

One by one, the freed Palestinian prisoners are disembarking from the buses that have brought them to the European Hospital in Khan Younis.

Many of them appear to have worn inside out the shirts that they were forced to put on by Israeli prison authorities. They make the Victory sign as they exit the buses and greet their loved ones.

Large crowds surround the buses, with many holding their phones in the air to capture the scenes.

Hamas condemns ‘racist’ markings on Palestinian prisoners’ shirts

We earlier reported how the Israel Prison Service made Palestinian prisoners wear outfits with a Star of David logo that said “We will not forget or forgive” in Arabic.

“We condemn the occupation’s crime of placing racist slogans on the backs of our heroic prisoners, and treating them with cruelty and violence, in a blatant violation of humanitarian laws and norms,” Hamas said in a statement.

The Palestinian group said this is “in contrast to the resistance’s firm commitment to moral values ​​in treating the occupation’s prisoners”.


A medic aids a freed Palestinian prisoner in Ramallah, West Bank, after being released from an Israeli jail, February 15