EXPLAINER
Israel claimed 18-year-old Mohammed Nazal was healthy when leaving prison, but the evidence suggests otherwise.
Israeli officials were infuriated by Mohammed Nazal’s revelations about his treatment in Israeli prisons after being released in a truce agreement with Hamas last week.
The 18-year-old Palestinian from the town of Qabatiya in the occupied West Bank reported experiencing beatings and denied medical assistance, which was disputed by Israeli authorities who attempted to portray him as untruthful.
Now, a fact-checking agency has validated his testimonies and medical records, further substantiating the brutal mistreatment of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, which has escalated since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.
What is Nazal saying?
Arrested in August and detained without charge, Nazal was one of over 100 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, many of them arbitrarily, and released as part of a weeklong truce that ended on Friday.
Following his release, Nazal spoke to various media outlets, including Al Jazeera, about his time in Israeli prison. He recounted how prison guards became markedly more violent after the war broke out.
According to Nazal, an Israeli guard tortured him by beating him with a stick for eight minutes, causing fractures and broken fingers on both hands. He was left in excruciating pain with no medical assistance until his release as part of a prisoner exchange.
What is Israel saying?
Nazal was only able to share his experiences after being reunited with his family by the Red Cross.
However, Israeli officials responded by attempting to discredit Nazal. Ofir Gendelman, a media official in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, released a video purportedly showing Nazal without bandages on his hands when boarding a Red Cross bus, insinuating that his hands were not injured.
Israel’s propaganda tactics and baseless claims have been consistently exposed publicly, especially during the ongoing war.
Is there any proof?
Nazal’s ordeal, if true, would be just one example of the inhumane conditions Palestinians endure in Israeli prisons.
Prior to Nazal, other Palestinians have also come forward with similar allegations of torture, beatings, and humiliation. Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners has been well-documented and dates back to its occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967.
A fact-checking agency, Misbar, examined and verified Nazal’s medical records, including X-rays of his hands, which confirmed several fractures. These findings were also corroborated by media outlets such as the BBC.
What else is happening in Israeli prisons?
Along with the physical abuse, the Israel Prison Service has imposed further restrictions on Palestinian prisoners that include limited access to water, food, medical care, and communal items, as well as curbing or halting family and lawyer visits. Child inmates undergo similar dire conditions as the adults.
