Palestinian child recounts ordeal of Israeli prison after release in swap deal

ISTANBUL (AA) – Palestinians face harsh conditions in Israeli prisons, from beatings to hunger, cold, fear and other abuse, according to Osama Naif Marmash, a child recently released under a prisoner swap deal between Tel Aviv and resistance groups in the Gaza Strip.

“Every week, the Israeli army comes to beat us, taking away all our clothes, blankets, and mattresses,” Marmash said in a recorded interview. He had been held without charge under the “administrative detention” policy for the past five months.

Noting that Palestinian inmates learned about the prisoner swap deal on Friday after the release of several inmates, the boy hailing from the northern occupied West Bank city of Nablus said they had been made to remain in the cold since 8 a.m “until the Red Cross came and took us from Ofer Prison.”

That morning, Israeli soldiers came and splashed the prisoners with water despite the cold weather, he added.

“The food allocated for the prisoners is very limited,” said Marmash.