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Israel accused of torture on Palestinian detainees as testimonies emerge

A detailed joint statement by Palestinian groups reveal instances where prisoners were subjected to beatings with batons and rifles.

Harrowing testimonies have emerged on cases of torture by the Israeli military on Palestinian detainees from Gaza and the occupied West Bank, according to a joint statement by prisoners’ affairs groups.

"The testimonies from recently released detainees in Gaza revealed gruesome details of torture and abuse by the occupying army upon them, with their bodies bearing signs of abuse," the statement said on Sunday.

The prisoners' society published a video showing an elderly man with bruises and wounds on his feet and wrists.

"Prisoner Nael Al Barghouti, 66, had been tortured during his transfer from Ofer Prison in western Ramallah, to Gilboa Prison in northern Israel," the press release said.

Al Barghouti "was brutally beaten with batons and rifles and the assault on him and his fellow prisoners continued for three consecutive hours".

The assault on the prisoners was focused on the chest and rib, resulting in fractures and contusions, according to the statement.

Al Barghouti was released in a 2011 exchange deal between the Palestinian resistance group Hamas and Israel, only to be re-arrested in 2014.

He was then re-sentenced to life imprisonment, serving a total of 44 years in Israeli prisons, making it the longest sentence among the prisoners.