Israel releases 30 Palestinian prisoners amid reports of poor health

Israel released around 30 Palestinian prisoners on Friday after they completed their sentences, but many were in critical health condition, with some requiring immediate hospitalization.

The Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a statement that many of the freed detainees, particularly those from Megiddo Prison in northern Israel, were suffering from scabies and other medical complications due to harsh prison conditions.

Photos shared by the organization showed visible signs of severe mistreatment and neglect.

Among those released was Saeed Salameh, who had spent 24 years behind bars. Some prisoners were reportedly subjected to severe beatings until the moment of their release, according to the statement.

On March 24, the Palestinian Prisoner Media Office accused Israeli authorities of “deliberately spreading scabies among Palestinian detainees at Gilboa and Megiddo prisons,” stating that this had resulted in multiple deaths.

Rights groups have denounced the abuse of Palestinian prisoners and called for urgent investigations into Israel's treatment of detainees.

Palestinian authorities estimate that at least 63 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli prisons since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Figures also show that around 300 prisoners have lost their lives in Israeli custody since Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967.

Last October, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that systematic torture and abuse against Palestinian detainees remain widespread.

The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing 855 people, injuring nearly 1,900 others, and shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

More than 50,200 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 113,900 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November 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.