Local sources announced on Sunday that Israeli occupation authorities released 24 detainees from the Gaza Strip as part of a new batch of limited releases since the outbreak of war in October 2023. The release took place at the Kerem Abu Salem crossing east of Rafah, where the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) received the released detainees.
According to the sources, the released detainees were immediately transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip for urgent medical examinations and assessments of their health.
Medical teams began conducting comprehensive examinations, amid initial indications of deteriorating health among the released detainees due to their detention conditions.
Previous reports and testimonies from released detainees indicated that they were subjected to harsh detention conditions and ill-treatment in prisons.
This release comes at a time when thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip remain in detention since the start of the military operations, in what have been described as dire humanitarian conditions. Several limited prisoner releases were recorded during 2026, including the release of 12 prisoners on April 15 and 14 on April 9, in addition to other releases in March and January.
Human rights reports indicate that those released often suffer from severe exhaustion, malnutrition, and the effects of torture, having been denied medical care during their detention.
According to human rights data, the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons exceeded 9,500 by March 2026, including thousands from the Gaza Strip, classified as “unlawful combatants” or “administrative detainees.”
Human rights organizations confirm the continued escalation of violations against prisoners, including medical neglect and solitary confinement, within the context of a policy of detention that has persisted since the start of the war.
