Freed Palestinian man describes 'nightmare' in Israeli dungeons

A newly-freed abductee from besieged Gaza — displaying signs of psychological distress after spending one month in Israeli torture cells — has described his experience in Israeli custody as a "nightmare."

Badr Dahlan, 30, told Anadolu Agency that he endured "harsh conditions" inside the dungeons where he faced "violations and acts of torture" before his release on Thursday.

He said he was abducted "about a month ago in Khan Younis" in southern Gaza and recounted being beaten in Israeli torture centres during his incarceration.

"They [Israeli army] beat my hands and legs," Dahlan said. "They were going to cut off my leg."

He said he did not know the whereabouts of his family and heard from others that Khan Younis was destroyed in the Israeli invasion.

After being transferred to the Shuhada al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah in central Gaza to be treated after his release, Dahlan said he "feels like he is going to die."

Dahlan appeared in a catastrophic psychological state with his eyes bugged and unfocused, and his speech irregular, often stuttering, indicating severe psychological disturbance as a result of Israeli torture.

His words were also not aligning together as he struggled to form a coherent sentence.

Detainees freed, others died

The Gaza Media Office said on Thursday that at least 36 abductees from Gaza who were seized by the Israeli military since October 7 have died from torture in Israeli torture cells.

The Israeli army released 33 Palestinian abductees from Gaza on Thursday, according to medical sources.

"The freed Palestinians were admitted to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital with thin bodies and signs of torture," said sources.

Anadolu reported that the detainees were set free in eastern Deir al Balah in central Gaza.

Since the beginning of the Israeli ground invasion in Gaza, Israel has abducted thousands of Palestinians, including women, children and members of health and civil defence teams.

While a small number of detainees have been released, the fate of the majority of Palestinians remains unknown, with no official statistics available.

Torture and violations

Since the start of Israel's genocidal war on besieged Gaza, there has been a horrific pattern of abuses and violations against Palestinian abductees, especially at the notorious military base Sde Teiman.

A recent investigation revealed that Palestinians at the infamous base faced extreme levels of torture and other human rights violations.

The acts of torture included being sodomised with metal rods, jolted with electricity, and subjected to merciless beatings with batons, rifle butts, and handheld metal detectors.

Israel is accused at the International Court of Justice of carrying out genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, where it has killed over 37,400 Palestinians — mostly women and children — and wounded over 85,600 so far.

More than 10,000 Palestinians are feared buried under the rubble of annihilated homes while Israeli troops have abducted some 9,500 Palestinians in occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza.