After his release, Palestinian doctor Dr. Iyad Zaqout narrated the torture and insults he was subjected to during his arrest by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip.
After being arrested twice by the occupation forces and then released, the general surgeon at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip returned to the destroyed hospital where he worked.
Scenes captured by a photographer collaborating with Manhattan Tribune show his overwhelming joy when, for the first time in many days, his phone connected to the Internet after it picked up a Wi-Fi signal, allowing him to contact his worried relatives and loved ones, reassuring them of his health, especially his son, who is studying medicine in Egypt.
Regarding the circumstances of his arrest, Zaqout says, “We were subjected to a series of humiliations, including lying on the ground after being stripped naked, and the army took parade photos, after forcing us to insult God, insult the Islamic religion, and insult the youth and the elderly.”
He talked about the shape of the handcuffs and their cruelty: “We remained handcuffed for more than 48 hours. Anyone who asked us to loosen the tension of our plastic handcuffs would have them tightened excessively on his hands.” The scenes confirm the marks left by the handcuffs on his hands.
According to Zaqout, the detainees were forced to remain silent, deprived of sleep, and were given little or no water. “Some of us wished for death,” he says with pain.
He pointed out, remembering the scenes of destruction he witnessed upon his return, “What I witnessed on my return trip after my arrest, many areas became sand dunes, and not just rubble, even the graves in the cemeteries were dug up.”
Despite these horrific experiences, he concluded with a message of steadfastness and hope: “People are steadfast, rising above their wounds, with a glimmer of hope in their eyes, hoping that the sun will rise and the darkness will go away.”
