"They unleashed dogs on us:" Released Gaza detainees share horrific accounts of ill-treatment in Israeli prison

Recently released Palestinian detainees have shared shocking accounts of ill-treatment and torture during their detention in Israeli prisons.

The detainees arrived at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, Gaza, after being released from Israeli jails.

Mahmoud Al-Zain, a former prisoner, recounted the brutal conditions they endured. 

"Our eyes were covered day and night, and our hands and legs were cuffed. They released dogs on us and beat us continuously," he said.

"We couldn't sleep at all. There was no bathroom, no food, and no water. We didn't sleep at all, it wasn't allowed," Mahmoud added.

Tal Steiner, Director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), has noted an alarming increase in abuse cases towards Palestinian prisoners from Gaza and the West Bank. 

"Both in the military camps and in the regular prisons in Israel, where detaniees are held both from Gaza and West Bank, we have seen an uptick and uprise in the number scale, and gravity of abuse by prison guards and interrogators," she said.

"It's completely likely, it's very likely that at least some of the deaths that have been so far counted have to do with violence and not from natural reason, could be the outcome of torture. But we can't say for certainty until we have official data, until we have autopsies, until we have investigations," the PCATI official added.

Israel has detained around 4,000-5,000 people from the Gaza Strip, including women, children, and aid workers. 

Over 1,500 have been released back to Gaza, with many sharing harrowing accounts of torture, including sexual abuse, electrocution, beatings, and humiliation.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed over 14,000 children and tens of thousands more have been injured.

The population of Gaza has decreased from 2.3 million to 2.1 million during the nine months of the Israeli military offensive in the coastal enclave, according to recent estimates by the UN humanitarian community.

At least 38,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since October 7.