By Kouthar Sambo

The release of prominent Palestinian Activist Ahed Tamimi has sparked a mix of emotions worldwide and, at the same time, opened a new can of worms to the public for many freed prisoners.

Tamimi was one of 30 prisoners released in the sixth prisoner-captive exchange deal between Israel and the Resistance Movement Hamas.

It is no surprise that freed prisoners, particularly women, are coming forward to talk about the horrific abuse, treatment, and humiliation they are subjected to daily.

Due to safety and security concerns, VOC did not reach out to Tamimi. However, speaking on VOC’s Drive Time show on Monday, one of her family members, Manal Tamimi, described some of the devastating circumstances prisoners have to live through.

“Since October 7th, they escalated the attacks on Palestinians and arrested them over various reasons such as incitement, which is the easiest way to arrest a Palestinian,” said Tamimi.

According to Tamimi, more than 3500 Palestinians have been arrested since October 7. The way Palestinians are arrested is very humiliating, explained Tamimi, as they arrest Palestinian families after raiding their homes. Sometimes it is one or two people arrested and sometimes the entire family. The arrest could be over social media posts as it creates awareness of the situation in Gaza.

“Each road, city, and town has been blocked with big rocks and it became very difficult to enter or exit the villages. so most of the time we have to take alternative roads to go to work, and they would stop the car, search everybody, take the phones, and if they find anything on social media, they arrest you. They also force you to take off your clothes and attack you physically in front of everybody,” detailed Tamimi.

She further described the situation inside Israeli prisons as a “nightmare” and while Palestinians have always lived through inhumane conditions, the “security” measures and treatment of prisoners have been tightened and aggravated since October 7.

“They deny the lawyer’s visits, they stop the courts and do this online without the presence of the families and prisoners, they take all the electronic devices from the prisoners, even the TVs and radios, and they are kept in the dark about what is happening outside the prisons,” reiterated Tamimi.

Once the prisoners were freed, said Tamimi, they did not even know if their own families were arrested or killed while they were in prison.

“The Israeli forces also began to confiscate personal belongings such as their clothes. Most of the prisoners that were released were wearing their prayer clothes and the same pajamas, because, since October 7, most of them were not allowed to change their clothes since they had nothing to wear. Also, they were not allowed to take a shower since October 7 while some said they only had one shower,” detailed Tamimi.

So far, the occupation has targeted and destroyed hospitals and health centers, rendering 26 hospitals and 55 health centers completely out of service.

Hamas reported that the occupation forces targeted 56 ambulances, killing 207 doctors, nurses, and paramedics, and arrested several medical individuals, including the general director of Shifa Medical Complex, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salimah.

Photo: X/@QudsNen