Palestinian researcher describes emotional reunions as prisoners are released from Israeli custody

2025-01-20 03:00:26

(MENAFN) Basil Farraj, a researcher from Birzeit University, was present at the handover of Palestinian prisoners from Ofer Prison early this morning, witnessing the emotional reunions with family members.

“We saw prisoners stepping off the buses in poor health, looking pale and very weak. This clearly reflects the harsh conditions under which the Israelis have been holding Palestinians,” Farraj told Al Jazeera.

He also pointed out that Israeli authorities had imposed a communication ban on prisoners' families even before the war, making this the first time in many cases that relatives had seen their loved ones since the conflict began.

Farraj mentioned that some families in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem were contacted by Israeli officials and told not to celebrate when their freed family members returned home.

Many of the 90 prisoners released were women and children. “Israeli military courts do not treat children as children; they treat them as adults. One can only imagine the hardship of being incarcerated for more than 15 months under such harsh conditions, especially as a child,” Farraj added.

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