Palestinian prisoners released in the sixth exchange reveal torture and abuse in Israeli detention, as resistance forces secure their freedom under the ongoing ceasefire agreement.
Israeli occupation authorities released on Saturday the sixth group of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement.
According to the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs and the Prisoners’ Club, the released group includes 36 detainees serving life sentences and 333 prisoners from Gaza who were arrested following the Israeli aggression on the Strip after October 7, 2023.
The list of names indicates that 29 of the freed prisoners are from the occupied West Bank, seven from occupied Jerusalem and its suburbs, while 24 have been forcibly deported.
Israeli forces declared the area near Ofer prison a closed military zone, preventing families from gathering and firing live ammunition and tear gas at them.
The Israel Prison Service forced hundreds of Palestinian prisoners set for release to wear shirts featuring its logo, a Star of David, and the Arabic phrase: ‘We will not forget or forgive.’ Upon their release, Palestinian detainees were seen burning the uniforms in defiance.
Palestinian prisoners were forced by the Israeli occupation to wear uniforms marked with the Star of David and the slogan “We will not forgive, we will not forget”.
They burned the uniforms as soon as they were released. pic.twitter.com/zDbD9tmqT4
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 15, 2025
Since early morning, hundreds of citizens and families of detainees gathered in front of the Ramallah Cultural Palace and Mahmoud Darwish Museum Square to welcome the freed prisoners, waving Palestinian flags.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that four of the released prisoners were transferred to the hospital due to the severity of their health conditions.
Freed Palestinian prisoners told Al-Jazeera that they had been subjected to severe torture, abuse, and starvation while in Israeli detention.
The harsh conditions in which they were released expose “the scale of crimes and violations inside prisons, as the marks of torture and oppression are evident on their bodies,” according to Ahmed Al-Qudra, Director of the Prisoners’ Media Office, who called for “a firm stance to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes.”
The moment freed Palestinian detainees arrived in Ramallah, receiving warm welcomes from their families upon their release as part of the sixth batch of the prisoner exchange deal between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli government. pic.twitter.com/HtCMyAro5L
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 15, 2025
Al-Qudra emphasized that “the waves of freed prisoners continue to break the chains of captivity, restoring freedom to those robbed of it by the occupation, proving that only resistance can impose our people’s will and reclaim their rights from the occupier’s grip.”
He further condemned the Israeli occupation’s treatment of prisoners, stating that “the occupation has not ceased its crimes against prisoners, even in their moments of release, deliberately humiliating, assaulting, and degrading them in a desperate attempt to dampen their joy of freedom. However, the will of the freed prisoners has prevailed.”
For its part, Hamas welcomed the prisoner release, stating: “We congratulate our freed prisoners, their families, and our great Palestinian people on this significant national achievement on the path to liberation and return.”
The movement reaffirmed that “the cause of prisoner liberation will remain a top priority for our people and our valiant resistance, and victory will not be complete until all captives are freed.”
Hamas also emphasized that the release of Israeli detainees puts the occupation under “the obligation to honor the agreement and humanitarian protocol and to begin negotiations for the second phase without delay.”
🚨 Statement from Ahmed Al-Qudra, Director of the Prisoners’ Media Office: The severe condition In which the prisoners are released exposes the scale of crimes and violations inside prisons, as the marks of torture and oppression are evident on their bodies. This demands a firm… pic.twitter.com/GiUX701g37
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 15, 2025
The movement condemned “the occupation’s crime of marking our heroic prisoners with racist slogans and subjecting them to brutal treatment,” in violation of humanitarian law, stressing that “in contrast, the resistance remains committed to ethical principles in its treatment of enemy prisoners.”
Earlier on Saturday, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released three Israeli prisoners as part of the sixth phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.
The Al-Qassam and Al-Quds Brigades handed over three Israeli detainees, including two dual nationals (American and Russian), to the International Committee of the Red Cross east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
This exchange was part of the ongoing prisoner swap under the ceasefire agreement, which took effect on January 19.
(PC, AJA)
