Medical and field sources reported the arrival of 13 Palestinian prisoners at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah city, central Gaza Strip, immediately after their release by the Israeli occupation authorities today, Thursday. The release process took place via the Kerem Abu Salem border crossing, where International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) teams took charge of receiving and transporting them to receive necessary medical care and examine their health condition.
In a statement, the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that it facilitated the transfer of the released prisoners and enabled their communication with their families to ensure their reunification after periods of detention under ambiguous circumstances. The committee did not disclose the full identities of the prisoners or precise details about the nature of their injuries, but their direct transfer to the hospital raises concerns about the deteriorating health condition suffered by detainees inside prisons.
The international organization indicated that it has facilitated the transfer of more than 2,500 Palestinian prisoners since 2023 using the same mechanism, but it renewed its complaint about being continuously prevented from accessing Israeli detention centers. The committee stressed that it has not been able to visit any detainee since October 2023, demanding the necessity of revealing the fate of all missing persons and their places of detention, and allowing its teams to exercise their oversight role.
In a related context, the International Committee stressed the need for the occupation authorities to adhere to international humanitarian law, which mandates treating prisoners with dignity and providing a detention environment that ensures their physical and psychological safety. It expressed its grave concern about the thousands of Palestinian families who still do not know the fate of their children, affirming the continuation of dialogue with the Israeli side to resume periodic visits to detainees and check on their conditions.
This step comes at a time when documented testimonies are increasing about Palestinian prisoners, especially those from the Gaza Strip, being subjected to brutal torture and systematic starvation policies inside detention centers. The prisons where thousands of Palestinians are held lack the minimum humanitarian standards, as detainees suffer from deliberate medical neglect, which in many cases has led to a severe deterioration in their health or the martyrdom of some under torture.
Regarding the ongoing aggression, data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health indicates that the genocide war waged by the occupation on Gaza has resulted in more than 73,000 martyrs and over 173,000 injured. The continuous aggression has also caused the destruction of about 90% of the infrastructure and civilian facilities in the Strip, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and making the provision of medical services to released prisoners a major challenge.
As for the occupied West Bank, the pace of attacks by the occupation army and settlers has escalated, leading to the martyrdom of 1,173 Palestinians and the injury of thousands of others since October 2023. These attacks coincide with widespread arrest campaigns targeting about 23,000 citizens, as part of the comprehensive escalation policy pursued by the Israeli authorities in all Palestinian territories.
Under international humanitarian law, prisoners must be treated humanely, provided with acceptable detention conditions, and allowed to communicate with their families.
شارك برأيك
13 Palestinian prisoners transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after their release from occupation prisons