The Israeli army released 80 Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip on Thursday morning, according to local sources.

The detainees were freed at the Israeli-controlled Kissufim crossing in eastern Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

At least 10 of the freed individuals were in dire health and required urgent medical attention, according to medical sources. They were rushed to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. A hospital source described one detainee as being in critical condition—immobile and bearing visible marks of torture. Neither the Israeli government nor Hamas, the Palestinian resistance group, has issued an official statement on the matter.

This release follows a prior exchange under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in January, which collapsed last month when Israel relaunched its military offensive on March 18. Since then, nearly 1,500 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,700 injured, shattering the tenuous truce. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to escalate the campaign, a move some link to U.S. President Donald Trump’s reported plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza.

The broader conflict, ongoing since October 2023, has resulted in over 50,800 Palestinian deaths—mostly women and children—according to Gaza’s health authorities. The international community continues to scrutinize Israel’s actions, with the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its military operations in the enclave. (ILKHA)