Four Palestinian prisoners, recently released as part of the sixth batch in a prisoner exchange with Israel, were transferred to the hospital upon arrival in Ramallah due to serious health issues, a humanitarian organisation reported on Saturday.
The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that its medical teams took the four men to a local hospital after their health worsened during the transfer.
According to Middle East Monitor, the prisoners had suffered from hunger, physical abuse, and psychological torture while in Israeli custody, and their frail appearances reflected the mistreatment they endured.
Photographs showed the freed prisoners with significant weight loss, and some struggled to walk due to their deteriorating physical conditions.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor condemned the abuse, calling Israeli prisons “institutionalised torture facilities” and “graves for the living.”
The human rights group shared images of one of the prisoners, showing severe health deterioration, and emphasised that these conditions had persisted throughout their imprisonment.
Earlier in the day, Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades and Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades released three Israeli hostages in exchange for the 369 Palestinian prisoners, including 36 serving life sentences.
The release is part of a ceasefire agreement that took effect on January 19, following months of violence that claimed over 48,200 Palestinian lives, mainly women and children.
