TEHRAN – Palestinian prisoners released on Saturday were “deliberately” assaulted by the Israeli regime’s prison guards. 

Many of the Palestinians recently freed by the resistance movement in Gaza as part of the latest prisoner exchange deal were rushed to hospitals, with several in critical condition. 

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, Israeli authorities “deliberately insulted and assaulted” Palestinian prisoners and detainees right up until the moment of their release. 

The organization, which monitors prisoner releases, stated that the condition of the freed prisoners highlights the “extent of the crimes and violations” committed inside the prisons. 

In a statement, the monitoring group urged the international community to condemn double standards and take a firm stance against these violations. 

Last week, the Israeli regime claimed that captives released from Gaza appeared frail. However, critics accused Israel of hypocrisy, pointing out that it has been starving the people of Gaza during the 15-month plus U.S.-backed genocide, leaving most of the 2.3 million population malnourished. 

“The effects of torture and oppression were evident on the prisoners’ bodies, underscoring the urgent need for a firm stance to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes,” stated the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office. 

The statement further emphasized, “Just as the occupation demands the return of its prisoners, our prisoners have the right to freedom and dignity. Denying this right is nothing less than collusion with the executioner.” 

Ameer Abu Ra’adaha, a 51-year-old Palestinian inmate released on Saturday after 32 years in prison, revealed that prisoners sensed an exchange was imminent days before it happened. He explained that Israeli guards raided their cells and physically assaulted them in the lead-up to their release. 

Abu Hamza, the military spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, stated, “As the Palestinian resistance releases a number of enemy captives, it reaffirms the humane treatment they receive in captivity. Meanwhile, the enemy continues to torment and abuse our prisoners, even spoiling their joy of freedom until the very last moments of their release.” 

He highlighted, “What was witnessed on Saturday, the clear freedom and humane treatment of the Zionist captive Alexander Trufanov by the Al-Quds Brigades, serves as the strongest evidence of this.” 

“What the enemy did, forcing our captives to wear clothes marked with ‘We will not forget, and we will not forgive,’ along with the visible signs of their deteriorating health upon release, reveals the truth that the unjust world refuses to see: the brutality of the Zionist enemy and the cruelty of its jailers toward our prisoners.” 

The Palestinian resistance spokesman added, “The difference is stark between how we treat enemy captives and how the enemy treats the hostages of our free people.” 

Abu Hamza also noted, “All countries, especially the United States, which demands that the resistance release all enemy captives, must also demand the same from the occupation.” 

He emphasized that the international community should not turn a blind eye to the “horrific scenes of suffering, abuse, and systematic killing inflicted upon our captives, the rightful owners of the land, the homeland, and the sacred cause, who endure all forms of torture in the occupation’s prisons, living within them as if in mass graves.” 

Condemnation from human rights organizations is steadily growing over the dire health conditions of Palestinian prisoners recently released from Israeli prisons. 

Many of these prisoners display physical signs of torture, including scars, bruises, and severe malnutrition. 

Human rights groups have decried the inhumane treatment endured by these victims, calling for urgent international intervention. 

The visible effects of the abuse they suffered serve as a stark reminder of the harsh conditions within notorious Israeli detention centers, sparking widespread calls for accountability and justice for the victims of these mass violations.