(January 2025)
This is a very complex time for us all, as we closely follow the gradual implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners. Everything hangs in the balance. In the statement we published at the beginning of the week, we emphasized that the release of the Israeli hostages in the first phase of the agreement is a vital step, ending a long period of incarceration by Hamas in harsh conditions. We hope that the remaining Israeli hostages will also be released after suffering from violence, torture, and inhumane conditions. Those who have survived can then begin the process of rehabilitation, while those who died will at least receive a dignified burial. The release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement is another significant step, reducing the number of those imprisoned in prisons and army camps, where they have faced a vindictive policy of torture, degrading and cruel treatment, enforced disappearances, and the denial of the right to a fair trial.