Alice Cuddy
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Global stock markets plunge amid Trump tariff turmoil
Mohamed Abutuile used to be a mechanic. That was before he was arrested by Israeli forces last year. He says the torture began almost immediately.
Global News Podcast
Global stock markets plunge amid Trump tariff turmoil
Now his body bears the scars of a year in detention. The skin around his eyes is badly damaged. He's lost a lot of weight. But most shocking is his back and arms, now covered in thick red welts. He said Israeli soldiers poured chemicals on him, beat him and set his back alight in the days after his arrest. In detention, he says, the mistreatment continued.
Global News Podcast
Global stock markets plunge amid Trump tariff turmoil
Mohammed was one of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Gaza released in the ceasefire earlier this year in exchange for Israeli hostages. During their time in detention, they were questioned about links with Hamas and the whereabouts of the hostages. But in the end, Israel said none of those released were found to have participated in the October 7th attacks.
Global News Podcast
Global stock markets plunge amid Trump tariff turmoil
Despite this, many prisoners say they endured hostility and hardship throughout their time.
Global News Podcast
Global stock markets plunge amid Trump tariff turmoil
Abdul Karim Mujtaha used to work at a slaughterhouse in Gaza. He said he was arrested by Israeli soldiers while he tried to cross a checkpoint with his family. What followed, he says, was more than a year of torture and humiliation.
Global News Podcast
Global stock markets plunge amid Trump tariff turmoil
He says he was denied water and soap, leading to skin blisters and infections.
Global News Podcast
Global stock markets plunge amid Trump tariff turmoil
The BBC spoke to several other Gaza men after their release. They all said they were stripped, blindfolded, cuffed and beaten during their time in detention. Some said they were denied access to medical care. Others said they witnessed the deaths of fellow detainees.
Global News Podcast
Global stock markets plunge amid Trump tariff turmoil
The allegations are in line with reports by the UN and human rights groups of mistreatment of Palestinian detainees held in Israeli military barracks and prisons. We shared the allegations with Professor Lawrence Hill Cawthorn, an expert in international law from the University of Bristol.
Global News Podcast
Global stock markets plunge amid Trump tariff turmoil
We put our allegations in detail to the IDF. They said the IDF detains individuals in the Gaza Strip who are suspected of being involved in terrorist activities. They also said the IDF completely rejects accusations of systematic abuse of detainees, but that claims will be examined by the relevant authorities.
Global News Podcast
Global stock markets plunge amid Trump tariff turmoil
Shortly after the men we spoke to were freed, the ceasefire collapsed after Israel renewed its offensive. Mohammed Abu Tawileh says the injuries he sustained during detention have been life-changing.
Global News Podcast
NATO calls for unity as tensions rise with US over Ukraine
Yoni Levy's 20-year-old daughter Nama started at the Nahalo's military base just the day before October 7th. In captivity, held for long periods without sunlight, he says she heard him calling for her release.
Global News Podcast
NATO calls for unity as tensions rise with US over Ukraine
For more than a year, the families have prayed for the return of their loved ones. The childhood sweetheart of one of the observers, Daniela Gilboa, even shouted a marriage proposal towards Gaza in the hope that she might somehow hear. Her mother, Orly Gilboa, says Daniela was moved frequently from underground tunnels to homes hidden from view.
Global News Podcast
NATO calls for unity as tensions rise with US over Ukraine
They watched a release of the latest three male hostages at the weekend and cried together. Ellie Sharabi, one of those who appeared emaciated, is their cousin.
Global News Podcast
NATO calls for unity as tensions rise with US over Ukraine
These are among the first interviews with close family members since the hostages have been released. And their parents say full details of what happened to them are still emerging. There are things they can't say, fearful that it may put the 76 hostages still held in Gaza at risk.
Global News Podcast
NATO calls for unity as tensions rise with US over Ukraine
Shlomi Berger's daughter, Agam, is a 19-year-old violinist among the women who had just started at the base. Her father says she knows her own mind and was shocked by the way women were treated.
Global News Podcast
NATO calls for unity as tensions rise with US over Ukraine
Now finally home, all the families are calling for the remaining hostages to be urgently released and for answers about why their warnings were missed. They say they will join calls for a national inquiry. one they believe is long overdue. On her return home, Daniela reminded her mum of a stark warning she made just before October 7th.
Global News Podcast
NATO calls for unity as tensions rise with US over Ukraine
It was a nightmare, they warned of, but no one seemed to have listened. In a video filmed by Hamas and later released by the hostage families, you can hear the woman pleading in English. The last remaining female observers, the soldiers who watched Gaza's border, were released in the first weeks of the ceasefire after more than 15 months in captivity. Now home with their families.