JERUSALEM

Israel resumed its systematic violations against Palestinian detainees scheduled for release on Saturday by forcing them to wear T-shirts inscribed with a passage from the Torah that conveys a vengeful intent.

According to the Israeli broadcaster KAN, the Palestinian detainees were compelled to wear white T-shirts bearing an inscription on the back in Arabic: “I will pursue my enemies, catch them, and will not return until I have eliminated them.” This alludes to Israel’s determination to assassinate or pursue the released detainees and re-arrest them.

The Israeli daily Maariv reported Saturday that the inclusion of this phrase alongside the Israeli Prison Service’s logo came on the orders of the Prison Service Commissioner, Kobi Yaacobi, in consultation with other security officials.

“In addition, the identification bracelets (which Palestinian detainees are forced to wear) have been updated to bear the inscription: ‘The eternal people do not forget... I will pursue my enemies and catch them,” it added.

In a related development, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that Palestinian prisoners in Ktzi'ot prison in the Negev scheduled for release today had written on the prison walls phrases such as “We do not forget, we do not forgive, nor do we bow down” and “we will all die, but we will die as martyrs.” These messages were in response to Israel’s attempts to humiliate them by forcing them to wear these T-shirts.

At the beginning of February, the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed its anger over the way Israel handled Palestinian detainees during their release, as they were handcuffed and in painful conditions.

Israeli authorities were set to release 620 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday as part of the seventh batch of the first phase in the prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel.

Earlier in the day, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, handed over six Israeli captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Rafah, Nuseirat, and Gaza City.

The ceasefire deal took effect last month, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,300 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.