He is currently living in a tent with his children, but his relationship with them has drastically changed compared to 15 months ago, when he was full of energy and humor. “His children deal with him as if he was a stranger,” his wife, Salma, states.

During one interrogation, an Israeli soldier brutally assaulted an elderly man. Hassan, filled with anger, shouted at the soldier to stop the beating and release the old man. The soldier ignored him, and five others approached, beginning to beat Hassan with their hands, legs, and rifle butts. They continued until he collapsed and lay motionless on the ground.
Subsequently, two Israeli soldiers hung him from the cannon of a tank and paraded him through the streets of Beit Hanoun before he vanished. People assumed he had been killed, and when his body was not found, they speculated it might have been buried or consumed by street animals, like many other martyrs.
In reality, the critically injured Hassan was taken to the infamous Sde Teiman Prison, where he endured severe and unimaginable torture.
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According to his wife, he initially received no treatment for his critical wounds to his hands, chest, and abdomen, which were mostly external but included deep bruises and a broken hand. The soldiers would press on his wounds whenever they chose to torture him.
One soldier used a small stick, about the size of a drinking straw, inserting it into his wounds, causing him excruciating pain and making him scream loudly.
Hassan was interrogated once as a Hamas member and another time as a member of Islamic Jihad. Initially, he denied any affiliation with political groups, but the beatings continued. Eventually, he decided to falsely claim membership in Hamas.
“The problem is that they ask questions during the interrogation and they beat you regardless of your answer,” Hassan recounted. This was the only statement I could extract from him; I gathered the rest of the information from his neighbors in the displacement camp and from his wife.
Since his release in July to the south, Hassan has been suffering from post-traumatic symptoms. He struggles to speak fluently and prefers to spend time alone in his family’s tent. At the same time, he has become aggressive and reacts with anger towards others for no apparent reason. He has shared the details of his prison experience with his wife and neighbor, Mohammad.
Salma revealed that her husband was severely beaten by the Israeli interrogators. They confined him to a small cell and made him listen to the voices of a woman and children, claiming they were his wife and children in the adjacent cell. When the voices ceased, he heard gunfire and was told that his family had been executed.
While his family outside the prison believed he was dead, he too thought his loved ones had been killed. Upon his release, he was shocked to find himself in southern Gaza and was taken aback by the widespread destruction.
When his parents, wife, and children saw him, they were overjoyed and celebrated his return. However, their joy quickly turned to sorrow upon realizing he was psychologically unwell.
A psychiatrist who evaluated him indicated that while he might recover and return to his normal state, it would take a significant amount of time and that “he needs special treatment and intensive, close follow-up.”
His wife feared he might become ill upon seeing her and their children after so long in prison, especially after believing they had been killed.
This narrative is just one among thousands of similar accounts, and there may be even more harrowing stories that Netanyahu, Israeli leaders, American officials, and many Western leaders are attempting to keep from the public.