We were not in prison, we were in a slaughterhouse
"We were not in prison, we were in a slaughterhouse."
Al Jazeera spoke to several Palestinians in the Gaza city of Khan Younis who were released from Israeli captivity. Abdullah Abu Rafi is one of them. He described his feelings of freedom as “extraordinary.”
“We were in a slaughterhouse, not a prison. Unfortunately, the slaughterhouse was called Ofer Prison. Many young people are still there.
The conditions in Israeli prisons are terrible. There are no mattresses – they always take them away. The food is very bad. Everything is difficult there,” Abu Rafi said.
Another released Palestinian, Yassin Abu Amra, described the conditions in Israeli prisons as “very, very bad.” He said, “The food, the torture, the beatings—everything was terrible. There was no food or water. I didn’t eat anything for four days. When I came here (Khan Younis), they gave me two sweets, and I ate them.”
Israel has released about 250 Palestinian prisoners, who were serving life sentences or longer. It also released about 1,718 Palestinians held since the country began its war in Gaza. The United Nations considers these prisoners to have been “enforced disappearances.”
Saeed Shubair, who was released along with other Palestinian prisoners on Monday, said he could not express his feelings in words.
“This feeling cannot be expressed in words,” said Saeed. “Seeing the sun outside the prison in the open sky — it is an indescribable feeling. My hands are now free. Freedom has no price; it is priceless.”
Food, torture, beatings — the conditions are terrible in every way. There was no food or water. I did not eat for four days. When I came here (Khan Yunis), I was given two sweets, and I ate them.
Yassin Abu Amra, a freed Palestinian
Al Jazeera reported that Israel has released about 250 Palestinian prisoners, who were serving life sentences or longer, along with about 1,718 others detained since the country began its war in Gaza. The United Nations considered these prisoners to be "enforced disappearances."
