Ghada Musbeh is trying to find her husband among the bodies Israel released. She holds up her phone with a photo of him on it inn Khan Younis, Gaza, October 16, 2025 [Ramadan Abed/Reuters]
The return of 135 bodies of Palestinians by Israel from Khan Younis, Gaza, reveals a tale of concealed cruelty. Many of the bodies were returned with bound hands and feet, ropes tied around their necks, and their eyes covered. Some were unrecognizable, their bodies bloated or frozen from conditions of detention. Nearly all showed signs of physical abuse.
Many originated from military sties known as Sde Teiman, turned into detention facilities in the Negev, that news outlets reported as systematically torturing men: beatings, isolation, deprivation of food and sleep, and even electric shocks. Families wanting to know the fate of their loved ones got trucks with bodies in white bags, many not named, some only identified by dentition, tattoos, or scraps of clothing or narrowing down their search.
All were officially classified as "combatants," despite many being civilians arrested many months prior with no charges or trial. Human rights organizations including B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel have long documented conditions of cruelty in prisons: overcrowding, lack of medical care, and even physical and psychological abuse.
The bodies being returned are not only evidence of war but of a system of inflicted wounds performed in secrecy. Families see interventionists gain no closure, while Gaza continues to pay an enormous price for silence and suffering, while most of the international community looks on.
References:
https://www.phr.org.il/en/prisoners-violations-report-2024/
https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-brutal-conditions-facing-palestinian-prisoners