BY Harun Nasrullah
London, (The Muslim News): A circulated video published Saturday by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office showed Israeli security officers abusing Palestinian prisoners at the Negev prison. The office stated the footage, which it sourced from Israeli media, “documents a painful scene showing the brutal mistreatment of prisoners by the occupation, who are scheduled to be released under the exchange deal.”
The footage shows a group of detainees with their hands tied behind their backs, forced to walk in a line while blindfolded and bending their heads downward, surrounded by Israeli soldiers and police officers.
Amjad al-Najjar, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, wrote on Facebook that “Israeli media published a video from the Negev Desert Prison showing preparations for the release of several Palestinian prisoners.” He added that the video’s translation indicates those shown are prisoners serving life sentences who are being transferred in preparation for their deportation to Gaza as part of the deal.
Meanwhile, the human cost of the conflict continued to mount in Gaza. Medical sources reported that the bodies of 125 fatalities arrived at hospitals across the strip since dawn on Saturday. According to the sources, 121 of the bodies were recovered from under the rubble following Israeli airstrikes, while four others died from injuries sustained earlier. The bodies were distributed among several hospitals, with Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City receiving 52.
This backdrop of violence comes as international efforts for a lasting peace continue. Egypt is set to host an international peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, co-chaired by Presidents Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Donald Trump. A presidential statement said the summit aims to “end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability.”
The statement added that the summit “comes in light of US President Trump’s vision for achieving peace in the region and his relentless efforts to end conflicts around the world.”
Trump had announced that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a 20-point plan, which came into force on Friday. A second phase calls for a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas and the group’s disarmament.
West Bank Tensions and Jewish Settler Violence
Tensions also flared in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces detained a 17-year-old from the Dheisheh refugee camp after chasing and beating him as he rode his bicycle, according to the official news agency WAFA. No reason was given for the arrest. Israeli forces also raided several other towns, including Tubas, triggering clashes with residents.
Separately, illegal Jewish settlers continued assaults in the territory. A Palestinian man was assaulted in the village of Raba near Jenin and required hospital treatment. In a separate incident south of Nablus, an illegal settler from the Yitzhar settlement attacked farmers from the village of Asira al-Qibliya, seizing their olive-harvesting equipment.
Hafez Saleh, head of the Asira al-Qibliya village council, reported that the settler “attacked the farmers as they were returning home,” seized their tools, and threw their freshly picked olives on the ground. These attacks are part of a broader pattern during the olive harvest season, where farmers face intensified assaults by army-backed settlers.
According to Palestinian figures, illegal Israeli settlers have carried out 7,154 assaults against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank since October 2023.
Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon
In a significant escalation outside Gaza, the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on six heavy machinery yards along the Al-Msayleh road in southern Lebanon. The state news agency NNA reported that the attack killed one Syrian national, injured eight others, and destroyed more than 300 vehicles, including bulldozers and excavators, causing an estimated loss of hundreds of millions of dollars.
“The exhibition sites that were completely destroyed are considered among the largest and most prominent heavy machinery exhibition sites in Lebanon,” the agency said, noting the area was engulfed in flames.
The Israeli army claimed it destroyed Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the area, alleging the engineering equipment was used to rebuild the group’s capabilities. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun denounced the attack as “a blatant act of aggression,” warning it could signal an Israeli attempt to move the conflict to Lebanon. This airstrike comes despite a ceasefire reached in November 2024.
A ceasefire was reached in November 2024 following a year-long cycle of cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel that began in October 2023. The conflict escalated into a full-scale Israeli offensive by September 2024, resulting in more than 4,000 deaths and around 17,000 injuries.
Under the terms of the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 2025. However, it has so far only partially pulled out troops and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.
[Photo: Palestinians see their devastated homes as they continue return to north on the second day of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, with those arriving in Gaza City’s Sheikh Ridwan neighborhood finding widespread devastation after the Israeli army’s withdrawal, as roads, buildings, and infrastructure lie in ruins, on October 11, 2025.
Photojournalist: Abdalrahman T. A. Abusalama/AA]
