GAZA: Israeli authorities released 24 Palestinians on Wednesday who had been arrested from across Gaza during the conflict in the enclave, Palestinian media reported.
The released detainees, including elderly men from cities and refugee camps across Gaza, arrived at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis aboard vehicles operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office.
Medical teams examined the former detainees upon their arrival. Local sources said many appeared to show signs of torture and severe exhaustion, which they attributed to harsh detention conditions and alleged abuse in Israeli prisons.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, the releases bring to 636 the number of detainees who have returned to Gaza since the completion of prisoner exchanges under the Hamas-Israel ceasefire agreement.
The releases came as Israel continues to free small groups of Gaza detainees at irregular intervals outside the framework of the ceasefire exchanges.
Last week, Israel freed 60 prisoners back into Gaza in the largest release since the first phase of the ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, which took effect in October.
According to the latest figures from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, more than 9,400 Palestinians remain in Israeli custody, including about 270 children and 92 women.
The organization says around 1,320 detainees are from Gaza. Israel has classified them as “unlawful combatants” under a wartime detention law.
Israel has previously said detainees were held for security reasons and has rejected allegations of systematic abuse in its detention facilities.
Human rights organizations, including Israeli and international groups, have repeatedly called for independent investigations into conditions in Israeli prisons and detention centers.
