GAZA, Palestine

Released Palestinians recounted their experiences after being detained by Israeli soldiers in the besieged Gaza Strip for four days.

Israeli forces expanded their Gaza occupation and media outlets showed images of Palestinian men in the northern Gaza Strip lined up half-naked, handcuffed and in their underwear amid the destruction.

Israeli state TV KAN reported Dec. 7 that the army had detained 700 Palestinians.

Some of those detained by Israel in the Ez-Zeytun neighborhood in eastern Gaza City were released early Friday after being loaded onto trucks and taken to a military checkpoint near the city.

Those taken to the Aqsa Martyrs Hospital by ambulances showed signs of exhaustion with numb hands -- revealing they narrowly escaped death from torture and hunger.

They were forcibly taken out half-naked

Hospitalized Palestinian Usame Ude, 58, told Anadolu that he and others were subjected to torture and humiliation.

Ude said soldiers, upon entering the Ez-Zeytun neighborhood, fired randomly at windows, broke doors and demanded men to come out in their underwear despite the cold weather.

He was handcuffed so tightly that he had swollen hands and a deep wound to his wrist. Ude said soldiers demanded that they kneel before they were subjected to being kicked.

Ude noted that soldiers took 20 of the detainees to a nearby field and buried them in a pit with bulldozers. Other detainees heard screams but the sound stopped after five minutes. The soldiers later pulled them out, exhausted and with fractures to their bodies.

Hungry, thirsty, tortured

Ahmed Ebu Ras, 14, said detainees were hungry and thirsty and denied the use of the bathroom for four days.

"On the last day, they gave us minimal water. We faced various insults. Soldiers took a group to Gaza's south with trucks and, despite the cold, forced them into the water on the way," he said.

Nemr Selman Ebu Ras said when soldiers raided their homes, residents raised the surrender flag to save their lives. That caused the army to immediately turn tanks toward them.

"At that moment, we screamed, emphasizing the presence of children. Neighbors joined us in leaving their homes. They separated us, claiming we were Hamas members. The soldiers dragged men on the ground like animals. If those detained fell asleep from exhaustion, they were kicked awake," he said.