Nessie

When my brother was released from prison, he was no longer the same it was not just a release, but as if he carried with him the pain of everyone who remained there. He told us about the spread of severe skin diseases among the prisoners, caused by long months without bathing, without changing clothes, in the absence of water and any means of hygiene or sterilization. He said the suffocating smells filled the cells, and their bodies ached from constant neglect. He told us about the extreme overcrowding in the cells, where dozens were crammed into a space too small for them, with no room to sit or sleep, taking turns lying down, spending long hours standing. No air, no sunlight, only closed walls and a suffocating confinement that crushed the spirit before the body. He spoke about interrogations… about the harsh, repeated torture, the beatings, humiliation, and psychological pressure, just because he was from Gaza. He told us about starvation, about meals that were not enough even for a child, and a constant feeling of dizziness and exhaustion. He told us about the biting cold, about long nights without blankets, shivering until morning, and wet clothes that never dried. About sickness… about unbearable pain, untreated wounds, and medicine denied to them, as if they were left to suffer in silence. But what was worse than all of this… was the psychological destruction. He told us they were deprived of sleep for days, the lights kept on day and night, and shouting in their faces continuously. Sometimes they were forced to sleep while their hands were bound, in painful positions, unable to move or rest. He said they were subjected to humiliating searches repeatedly, stripped of privacy and dignity. He told us about isolation, total disconnection from the world, no letters, no visits, no knowledge of their fate or their families… only emptiness, fear, and waiting. He told us about moments when some completely broke under the pressure, silent crying in the dark, losing hope, people who changed completely and were no longer the same. Some became mentally ill, some lost the ability to speak, and some lived in total silence. He told us things things the mind cannot comprehend, and the heart cannot bear. We listened, caught between shock and helplessness, as if hearing about another world but it was real. The condition of prisoners in the jails is tragically beyond description. All of this happens, is reported, and yet nothing changes.