"State Comptroller" Report: Shortcomings Led to the Release of Palestinian Prisoners Classified as "Dangerous"

SadaNews Translation - A report from the so-called "State Comptroller" office revealed on Tuesday evening that the release of Palestinian prisoners classified as "dangerous" was due to a shortage in prisons and other detention facilities.

According to the report, as translated by SadaNews, there was a significant increase in the number of Palestinian detainees during the war that erupted following the attack on October 7, 2023, with a rise of up to 92%, from 5,200 to 10,000.

The report highlighted that the Israeli army and the prison service were unprepared for war and for holding Palestinian prisoners long-term due to a lack of detention spaces.

According to the report, this led to the release of 18 prisoners, including the director of Sheba Hospital, along with several others from various detention centers, at a time when Hamas was still holding hostages.

The comptroller also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not informed in real-time about the release of Palestinian prisoners posing a security risk.

It was pointed out that overcrowding in detention facilities affected the ability of the Israel Security Agency "Shabak" to conduct investigations properly, increasing the burden and risks on security personnel in prisons.

The comptroller also mentioned that none of the prisoners had been brought to trial by the day the report was published.

In response, the Israeli army stated in a statement that the responsibility lies with the prison service, which bears full responsibility for that.

The Israeli army explained, as translated by SadaNews, that contrary to what was stated in the report, it had been instructed under military orders and an agreement established in conjunction with the prison service to prepare for holding security detainees for a short period only, and it had not received any other instructions at any stage.

It noted that it allocated considerable resources to deploy specialized personnel for detention and to establish detention infrastructure, indicating that the military detention facilities that were established were designated for initial detention and for intelligence examination and interrogation purposes, but practically, due to the shortcomings in the detention capabilities of the intelligence agency, these facilities were used for long detention periods.

It specified that regarding the release of detainees from the "Sdeh Teyman" detention center, they were released following a series of security consultations involving all relevant parties, and the "Shabak" prepared the list of released detainees.