Israel releases 60 Palestinian detainees to Gaza in largest release since October ceasefire

Health condition and abuse allegations

Multiple sources reported that the released detainees arrived in "frail and injured" condition at Nasser Medical Complex . Some were in wheelchairs, and journalists on the ground described visible signs of physical injury and exhaustion .

Released detainees gave accounts of mistreatment during their time in Israeli detention, including beatings, starvation, and isolation . These latest allegations are part of a broader pattern documented throughout the war and ceasefire period:

• In April 2025, released Gazan detainees told the BBC they had experienced torture by the IDF and Israel Prison Service .
• In July 2026, former Palestinian prisoners told the Wall Street Journal that they had been beaten, starved, and some claimed they were sexually assaulted in front of other prisoners .
• Reports from 2023-2024 from the Associated Press and BBC documented accounts of beatings, overcrowding, muzzled dogs set on detainees, and denial of food and blankets .
• The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported in July 2026 that its lawyers documented continued deterioration in living and health conditions at Israel's Naqab prison, including medical neglect, poor food quality, and physical and verbal abuse .

The ICRC has been unable to visit any Palestinian detainees in Israeli places of detention since October 7, 2023. Israel's Supreme Court upheld the ban on ICRC prison visits, citing security imperatives related to the hostage situation .

Israel's response

No detailed official response from Israel to the abuse allegations tied specifically to the July 28 release was found in available reporting. The Israel Prison Service has periodically and generally denied allegations of systemic abuse, calling such claims "false, recycled, and entirely without factual basis" in response to Wall Street Journal reporting earlier in July 2026 . Israeli authorities have maintained that they treat detainees in accordance with the law.

Broader context: detention crisis and previous releases under the 2025 ceasefire

The October 2025 ceasefire agreement, mediated by the United States, ended two years of war between Israel and Hamas. Under phase one of the deal, Hamas released all living Israeli hostages in exchange for a large number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees .

Israel released approximately 1,700 to 2,000 Palestinian detainees in that initial exchange, most of whom were Gazans detained during the war . Subsequent smaller releases continued through 2025 and 2026:

• January 2025: roughly 60 detainees freed in Ramallah
• February 2025: approximately 600 detainees released, including some long-serving prisoners
• July 2026: multiple smaller batches of 16 and 35 detainees freed in the weeks before the July 28 release

As of July 2026, the Palestinian Prisoner's Society reported that more than 1,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli administrative detention, many held without charges .

Hamas has repeatedly conditioned further ceasefire negotiations on Israel fulfilling commitments to free Palestinian prisoners, and has accused Israel of delaying releases . The July 28 release, while the largest since October, takes place against a backdrop of stalled talks over the next phases of the ceasefire agreement .