Alaa Badarneh / EPA
Palestinian hostages were transported in buses and welcomed with celebrations
Raped, without food and tortured. Palestinian hostages freed in the ceasefire with Israel describe scenes of terror. Hundreds still need to be freed.
“Freedom! freedom! We used to see the sky through little squares. I used to say that I hoped one day to see the sky without these squares”, he says Rose Khwais18 years old, cited by .
“I left hell and now I’m in heaven”says another released inmate, Abdelaziz Atawneh.
Around 90 Palestinian prisoners were released this Sunday, the majority of them women and teenagers, as a result of the ceasefire that came into force over the weekend. In return, Hamas released 3 Israeli hostages.
The agreement provides for the release of almost 2,000 hostages by Israeli forces, and 33 hostages by the Palestinian terrorist group.
Rose says that the prisoners, released after months of imprisonment, were treated “like animals”and “they came out of the cells like chickens, and were then returned to the cells”.
“They didn’t treat us well, there was no good food, there was no medical treatment. I had symptoms of a stroke, fluid around my heart and also blood pressure issues. I wasn’t afraid of illness, I was worried about my family knowing I was sick,” says the teenager.
“They used to rape us, beat us, shoot tear gas against us. They used to count us with our heads on the floor. Suddenly, they entered the cells and fired gas at us. They say bad words to us. There is no foodneither sweets nor salt. There is nothing”, describes Atawneh.
“I feel as if I have finally found water to drink, after being lost in the desert for 15 months“, said Aya, who told her that she had been displaced from her home in Gaza City for more than a year.
According to the , the Israeli forces, during the moment of liberation, tried in vain prevent “public demonstrations of joy”. They failed: hundreds of people cried and applauded the release of dozens of hostages.
“I am really happy! Thank God I’m out here. They treated me very badly in prison. It was horrible”, says the 24-year-old Shatha Jarabaawho was arrested over a social media post that criticized the “brutality” of Israeli forces.
Ahmad Khshaaged 18, was detained in January 2024 in Jenin. “They arrested me because my brother died during a shootout in Jenin. After he died, they arrested me. On Saturday, before releasing us, they raided our cells and threw tear gas at us. They tortured us in the cell every day. They also tortured and mistreated women,” he says.
Osama Shadeh awaits his daughter’s release Aseel, 17 years old, and explains that it is difficult to describe the emotion we are feeling at this moment.”
“My daughter was detained on November 7, 2024 while protesting against the killing of Palestinian children in Gaza. He waved a Palestinian flag. THEIsraeli soldiers shot her in the foot and handcuffed her. They accused her of trying to stab the soldiers. The fact that she is being released now means that Israel knew that my daughter had done nothing wrong. However, kept a minor in prison for more than a year”says Aseel’s father.
“We are suffering, suffering deeply and it is time to hug each other and cry,” the Gaza resident told Reuters Ahmed Abu Ayham40 years old, who points out that the conflict is far from being resolved, and when it comes to losses and destruction in the Gaza strip, there is no reason to celebrate.
Nearly all Gazans have been left homeless over the 15 months that have passed since the October 7 attacks. recorded on Sunday by several international channels show thousands of Palestinians returning home, surrounded by debris. Most return only to see destruction.
The committee of Red Cross responsible for monitoring the release of the hostages reported this Monday to CNN the “complex” challenges has faced during the process: “during the transfers, it was difficult to deal with large crowds and heightened emotions, and in Gaza, ICRC teams had to manage the dangers posed by unexploded devices and destroyed infrastructures.”
