Israel releases 5 prisoners from Gaza amid testimonies of torture

The "Martyrs of Al-Aqsa Hospital" in the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip received 5 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel on Tuesday, according to the prisoners' office affiliated with Hamas.

This comes as part of periodic releases of prisoners from the Gaza Strip, who have been held for months in Israeli prisons that lack the minimum humanitarian standards, where they are subjected to torture, according to documented testimonies.

The prisoners' office stated in a post on the "Telegram" platform that "the occupation forces released 5 prisoners who arrived at the Martyrs of Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip."

It noted that the released prisoners were transferred to the hospital by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The office did not provide details about the health condition of the released prisoners, but former detainees reported that many of the prisoners are released suffering from malnutrition and injuries due to severe physical torture inside Israeli prisons.

Israel released about 1,700 prisoners from Gaza on October 13, as part of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement signed by Hamas and Israel.

The agreement came into effect on October 10, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and sponsored by the U.S. president as part of a multi-phase plan.

Most of those released at that time arrived in a deteriorating health condition, and several of them spoke about being subjected to torture, starvation, and humiliation inside Israeli prisons.

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including children and women, remain imprisoned in Israeli jails, suffering from torture, starvation, and medical neglect that has led to the deaths of many detainees, according to Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations.

The ceasefire agreement ended an Israeli genocide in Gaza that lasted for two years since October 8, 2023, supported by Washington, resulting in more than 70,000 Palestinian deaths and about 171,000 injuries, most of whom are children and women, with reconstruction costs estimated by the United Nations at around $70 billion.