Mahmoud Abu Foul has returned to Gaza following over nine months of detainment in Israel. As he arrived back home, he found himself surrounded by well-wishers, but due to losing his eyesight during his imprisonment, he couldn’t locate his family in the crowd.
The 28-year-old Palestinian, who had already lost his left leg in an Israeli airstrike in 2015, recounted enduring physical abuse and torture at a well-known Israeli military prison, resulting in his blindness.
Speaking from a tent in Nuseirat refugee camp, where he now resides with his mother, Abu Foul expressed his desire to regain even partial vision after his release from prison. He was arrested by the Israel Defence Forces at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, where he was undergoing treatment for his amputated leg following an airstrike a decade earlier.
Abu Foul was part of a group of over 1,700 Palestinian detainees released by Israel as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. While he appreciated being back in his homeland, the inability to see dampened his joy.
His mother, Umm Ahed Abu Foul, described her shock upon discovering her son’s blindness at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after his return. She reminisced about his past vibrancy, showcased in a photo on her phone, and expressed her ongoing sorrow over his condition.
Abu Foul detailed the ordeal of being falsely accused of terrorism, enduring beatings during interrogations, and the harsh conditions at Sde Teiman, the prison in southern Israel where he was held. The abuse he suffered, including insults and physical violence, resulted in severe back pain and eventually led to his loss of vision after being struck on the head by a guard.
Despite his previous challenges, Abu Foul emphasized that losing his sight was the most difficult trial he faced. He hopes to receive medical assistance abroad to potentially restore his vision.
Allegations of systematic abuse in Israeli prisons, including torture, have been documented by human rights groups and the United Nations, with calls for an end to such practices and accountability for the treatment of Palestinian detainees.
