Israel releases 10 Palestinian detainees from Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Israel on Monday released 10 Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip and were transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, according to a statement by Hamas' Office for Prisoner Affairs.

Several of the released detainees told Anadolu that they were subjected to systematic torture and starvation while in Israeli custody.

Israel has occasionally freed small groups of Palestinians detained from Gaza since launching its genocide in the enclave on Oct. 7, 2023.

On April 17, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said Israel arrested thousands of Palestinians from Gaza under conditions of extreme secrecy and enforced disappearance.

The group said in a statement that detainees are being held under “harsh and terrifying conditions intended to cause maximum harm.”

The organization did not provide a specific figure, citing Israel’s ongoing concealment of information and continued mass arrests as part of its war on Gaza.

The Israeli army resumed its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on March 18, abandoning a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January. It has killed more than 51,200 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.