Gaza: Exhausted faces and frail bodies lay bare the brutal reality of psychological and physical torture endured by Palestinian prisoners. Yet, those freed in the latest prisoner exchange emerged from Israeli prisons with hearts steadfast in their belief in resistance, hope for liberation, and an unbroken conviction in the inevitability of victory.

According to Yemen News Agency, the released Palestinian prisoners, freed under the ‘Flood of the Free’ exchange, stood tall in defiance of their captors-breathing in the scent of freedom after two years of genocidal war waged by a merciless enemy steeped in racism and religious extremism.

The release of roughly 2,000 prisoners in the latest swap stands as one of the key outcomes of an unprecedented war that devastated Gaza. The ruins, blood-soaked earth, and shattered walls testify to the sacrifice of elders, women, and children, and mark a historic victory for the Palestinian resistance-one immortalized as the largest prisoner exchange in history.

The suffering endured in Israeli prisons serves as irrefutable evidence of the occupation’s brutality and moral depravity. By contrast, the humane treatment of Israeli captives held in Gaza underscores the ethical high ground of the Palestinian resistance.

This report compiles testimonies from freed detainees and organizations that monitor their conditions, as reported by several Palestinian and international outlets.

The Palestinian Prisoners Media Office confirmed on Wednesday that the released prisoners from Gaza returned home ‘as frail shadows of themselves, beginning a long road to physical and psychological recovery.’

According to the office, many former detainees emerged emaciated-some missing limbs, others confined to wheelchairs, and most bearing visible marks of starvation and severe abuse. Freed prisoners described being beaten continuously for four days, with Israeli guards mockingly calling it their ‘farewell gift.’

One detainee recounted how prison authorities deliberately struck his previous injury site until his arm fractured five times. Other testimonies revealed that several freed prisoners discovered upon release that their entire families had been killed during the war-leaving them facing ‘a double tragedy: personal loss and existential grief.’

The International Solidarity Organization for Palestinian Prisoners (Tadamon) stated, via the Palestinian SAFA agency, that recent images of the released detainees constitute visual evidence of systematic violations amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, as defined by the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.

Tadamon urged that these images be preserved as legal documentation for international investigations into Israel’s torture policies and violations of the right to life, bodily integrity, and human dignity.

Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, Director General of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, reported that the released prisoners arrived in extremely poor condition, showing clear signs of torture and abuse. Some had lost limbs, while others suffered from chronic untreated injuries sustained during the war.

Jamal Dagha, from Mazra’a al-Nubani near Ramallah, told Al Jazeera that he lost 30 kilograms during his 18-month detention. He described the prison conditions as ‘inhumane in every aspect-food, hygiene, and treatment,’ and detailed repeated physical and psychological torture.

Another released prisoner, Mohammed al-Asliya, a 22-year-old university student freed from Nafha Prison, said he contracted scabies in custody and was denied medical care. He and other inmates resorted to using floor disinfectant on their wounds-only worsening their conditions. He also described the so-called ‘disco room,’ where deafening music was played continuously for two days as a form of psychological torture, combined with beatings, cold-water dousing, and pepper-spray assaults.

In an interview with The Guardian, Naseem al-Radi said Israeli guards in Nafha ‘gave him a farewell beating’ before release-tying his hands, throwing him to the ground, and kicking him relentlessly.

Ammar al-Samhan, a freed prisoner from Nablus now in Egypt, told SAND News Agency: ‘Gaza paid the price in blood-for Palestine and for the entire Arab and Islamic nation. The people of Gaza have proven their will for freedom and independence.’

These testimonies-part of the latest prisoner exchange between Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades and the Israeli occupation-offer a glimpse into the unspeakable cruelty inflicted on Palestinian prisoners, encapsulating a long-standing pattern of dehumanization and torture aimed at breaking not just their bodies, but their faith in Palestine, resistance, and freedom.