Aysar Alais and Ikram Kouachi
15 February 2025•Update: 15 February 2025
ISTANBUL
Four Palestinian prisoners, recently released as part of the sixth batch in a prisoner exchange deal with Israel, were rushed to the hospital after arriving in Ramallah due to serious health complications, a humanitarian organization said on Saturday.
In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that its medical teams transferred the four freed Palestinians from the reception site in Ramallah to the hospital due to their deteriorating health conditions.
Palestinians released from Israeli jails have been subjected to hunger, physical abuse, and psychological torture in custody, with their physical appearances indicating maltreatment.
Photographs of the majority of the freed prisoners revealed a significant weight loss while in Israeli custody, and some of them were seen struggling to walk due to their poor physical condition.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, in a previous statement posted on its website, condemned the inhumane treatment of Palestinian prisoners, describing the Israeli prisons as "institutionalized torture facilities" and "graves for the living."
The human rights organization also shared an image of one of the Palestinian prisoners showing severe deterioration in health, highlighting the grim circumstances of their imprisonment.
The statement emphasized that the deteriorating health of the prisoners reflects the harsh conditions they endured, including torture, mistreatment, and degrading violations, up until their release.
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas' military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, and Islamic Jihad's military wing, Al-Quds Brigades, released three Israeli captives in eastern Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
In exchange, Israel released 369 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, including 36 serving life sentences and 333 others detained from the Gaza Strip after Oct. 7, 2023.
A ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
