Israel releases 9 Palestinians from Gaza after months of unlawful detention – Middle East Monitor

Israel released nine more Palestinians, including a woman, from the Gaza Strip after months of unlawful detention on Tuesday, Anadolu reports.

The freed captives were transported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah for medical examinations.

Speaking to reporters, ICRC spokesperson in Gaza Emani Nauk said the organization has been unable to access Palestinians held in Israeli prisons since October 2023, and called for information on the fate and whereabouts of all captives, as well as renewed access to detention facilities.

Palestinians previously released from Israeli detention have shown signs of abuse, severe malnutrition and injuries consistent with torture, according to medical staff and human rights organizations.

The releases are part of sporadic Israeli actions involving Palestinians detained from Gaza who were held for months in Israeli prisons in the absence of minimum humanitarian standards, according to documented testimonies from former detainees and rights organizations.

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Former detainees have said many of those released suffer from malnutrition and injuries caused by severe physical abuse during detention.

According to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society, Israel has killed more than 100 prisoners and detainees since the start of the Gaza genocide, with the identities of 87 announced, while dozens of detainees from Gaza who died in custody had been subjected to enforced disappearance.

Palestinian, Israeli and international reports have repeatedly warned of the torture of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including severe beatings, medical neglect, starvation and sexual assault.

Recently released Palestinian detainees have also reported systematic torture and cases of rape, appearing emaciated, with some showing symptoms of mental illness due to abuse.

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