Palestinian prisoners burned the uniforms they were forced to wear upon release, highlighting Israel’s mistreatment and fueling criticism of its prison policies.
Freed Palestinian prisoners burned on Saturday the uniforms that Israeli prison authorities forced them to wear before their release.
The clothing, bearing Israeli symbols and phrases, sparked widespread anger in Palestine and criticism in Israel.
On Saturday morning, the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority (KAN) published images showing the prisoners in white shirts printed with the Star of David, the Israeli Prison Service logo, and the phrase “We do not forget and we do not forgive” on both sides.
The Israeli Prison Service not only compelled the prisoners to wear these shirts but also took photographs of them in what has been described as a humiliating manner.
The prisoners were forced to kneel with their heads lowered, while other images captured them lined up inside a prison yard, surrounded by barbed wire.
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
This incident occurred shortly after the release of Israeli detainees from Gaza, who were handed over to the Red Cross in clean, well-kept clothing and carrying gifts.
Upon arriving at the courtyard of the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, several freed prisoners set fire to the Israeli-marked clothing, as their families and supporters chanted in a collective rejection of the occupation’s attempt to impose its symbolism on them.
Hamas Condemns Israeli Actions
The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas denounced Israel’s actions, stating that forcing Palestinian prisoners to wear shirts with racist slogans before their release was part of an ongoing campaign of humiliation.
This occurred during the sixth batch of the prisoner exchange deal under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
In an official statement, Hamas condemned “the occupation’s crime of imposing racist slogans on the backs of our heroic prisoners and subjecting them to cruelty and violence, in blatant violation of humanitarian laws and norms.”
🚨 Palestinian prisoner Nader Jamal Hussein from Jabaliya camp arrived at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, four released prisoners were transferred to the hospital due to difficult health conditions. pic.twitter.com/9uDNzQbePO
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 15, 2025
Israel’s decision, according to the statement, contrasted this with the resistance’s commitment to moral values in the treatment of Israeli detainees.
Hamas further emphasized that the release of three Israeli captives earlier on Saturday places Tel Aviv under the obligation to abide by the agreement and humanitarian protocol and move forward with negotiations for the second phase without stalling.
Islamic Jihad’s Response
The Islamic Jihad Movement also strongly condemned “the latest racist crime committed by the occupation forces against the freed Palestinian prisoners.”
The group stated that beyond this disgraceful act, Israeli media deliberately broadcast the images to further humiliate the prisoners, describing it as a desperate attempt to break their will.
They characterized it as “a flagrant violation of all international and humanitarian laws, revealing the occupation’s racist, inhumane nature and deep-seated hatred.”
Islamic Jihad further noted the stark contrast between the treatment of prisoners by both sides: “The world saw how the resistance treated the enemy’s prisoners with dignity and respect. Their release was orderly, and no harm came to them, unlike the systematic abuse suffered by our heroic prisoners.”
The military spokesman for the Al-Quds Brigades, Abu Hamza, reinforced this message, stating: “The resistance upholds ethical treatment of prisoners, while the enemy specializes in torturing ours.”
He pointed out that forcing Palestinian prisoners to wear degrading clothing and subjecting them to harsh conditions illustrates the brutality of Israeli treatment.
Abu Hamza called on the United States not to ignore these horrific scenes of systematic abuse and killings of Palestinian prisoners, whom he described as “the rightful owners of the land.”
He urged the US to demand that Israel release all Palestinian prisoners, just as it insists on the release of all Israeli detainees.
🚨 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
Prisoner Exchange and Stalled Agreements
Earlier in the day, the Al-Qassam Brigades and Al-Quds Brigades handed over three Israeli detainees, including two dual nationals (one American and one Russian), to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Red Cross then transferred them to the Israeli army as part of the sixth batch of the prisoner exchange agreement.
The transfer of this batch had been delayed the previous week due to Israel’s failure to adhere to the humanitarian protocol of the ceasefire agreement.
In response, Al-Qassam announced on Monday that it was freezing the release of Israeli prisoners until Israel ceased its violations.
Israeli Criticism of Prison Service
Within Israel, KAN reported that the treatment of Palestinian prisoners sparked internal criticism of the Prison Service, particularly regarding the clothing they were made to wear.
The report indicated that Israeli political leadership was unaware of the Prison Service’s decision to dress prisoners in these uniforms, which led to backlash.
Critics pointed out that the decision undermined Israel’s efforts to contrast its treatment of prisoners with that of Hamas, following the well-documented humane release of Israeli detainees by the Palestinian resistance.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, published footage from the handover of the sixth batch of Israeli detainees in Gaza as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
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Translation Notes:
0:11 – “My name is Yair Horn.… pic.twitter.com/2OmphqHpnK— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 15, 2025
Violations of the Ceasefire Agreement
Hamas has accused Israel of violating the agreement on four major fronts: targeting and killing Palestinians; delaying the return of displaced people to northern Gaza; blocking the entry of humanitarian aid, including shelter supplies, fuel, and rubble-removal equipment needed to recover bodies; Delaying critical medical supplies necessary to restore hospitals and the health sector.
As tensions escalated, efforts were made in recent days to salvage the agreement. On Thursday, Hamas stated that mediators from Egypt and Qatar had intervened to resolve these disputes, and it described the atmosphere of negotiations as positive.
Hamas reiterated that it remains committed to implementing the agreement as originally signed, including the prisoner exchanges according to the specified timetable.
However, despite assurances from mediators, no mobile homes or heavy machinery for rubble removal had entered Gaza by Friday, as stipulated in the humanitarian protocol, according to Gaza’s government media office.
On Thursday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 763 trucks entered Gaza but did not provide details on their contents or whether they fulfilled the necessary humanitarian commitments.
(PC, AJA)
