By Baybars Can, Muhammet Tarhan and Mohammad Sio
ISTANBUL (AA) - Freed Palestinian woman recounts her years in Israeli prisons in her book Wounded, spotlighting the physical and psychological abuse she endured over eight years of incarceration.
Israa Jaabis, speaking to Anadolu during her visit to Istanbul, expressed her gratitude for her freedom and for being among "her Turkish brothers."
Israel released Jaabis on Nov. 24, 2023, as part of the second round of a prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel during a six-day humanitarian truce in Gaza.
- ‘Wounded’
“The word ‘wounded’ had a powerful meaning. It was my answer to my aunt when she asked how I was during a court session,” Jaabis said, explaining the title.
She noted that the book falls into the genre of prison literature, adding that, because of that single word, she was denied family visits and several rights for a month.
“The book discusses medical neglect, deliberate delays in treatment, and the repeated punishments imposed on prisoners to deepen their suffering and psychological pressure,” she said.
According to Jaabis, the book also details her health condition in detention and includes sketches illustrating her injuries. “I drew those pictures to show my family my medical condition because they were banned from visiting me,” she added.
The book features reflections, poems, and letters she wrote to her family, along with children’s drawings and examples of the handicrafts she learned in prison.
Jaabis said she could hardly recall her words when she first met her son after her release. “I don’t remember what I said to him because of my emotions, but I hugged him tightly and hugged my whole family,” she said.
- Conditions worsened after October 2023
Jaabis said prisoners’ conditions deteriorated further after the events of Oct. 7, 2023. She explained that Israeli prison authorities increased abuse, withheld medical care, and delayed medicine delivery.
“Many prisoners’ rights were stripped away after the October 2023 events. Books were confiscated and thrown into the trash, and education was banned,” she said.
She also highlighted the harsh reality of solitary confinement, where detainees spend years in isolation. “We saw how the young prisoner Ahmad Manasra (arrested at 13 and released after about nine and a half years) came out mentally broken,” Jaabis said.
- Freedom begins with the self
On the concept of freedom, Jaabis said it begins with “liberating oneself from narrow thinking and freeing others from dependency.”
She urged Palestinians to work toward freeing all prisoners from physical and psychological suffering, particularly those with what she called “prison diseases” that have lasting mental effects.
Jaabis called on female prisoners to stay patient and steadfast until freedom and to devote time to memorizing the holy book of the Quran.
Israeli violations continue in Gaza, the West Bank, and occupied East Jerusalem, she said, adding that the government in Tel Aviv is "undermining the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque through excavations beneath it," which she warned could cause it to collapse in a minor earthquake and allow the construction of a "claimed temple."
Jaabis expressed gratitude to the Turkish people for standing with Palestinians and urged them to continue organizing events in solidarity with Palestine.
She said she hopes to continue her medical treatment in Turkish hospitals.
Jaabis suffered severe burns on Oct. 11, 2015, while driving from Jericho to Jerusalem. Her car broke down near an Israeli checkpoint, and Israeli soldiers opened fire, igniting a gas cylinder in her vehicle.
Israel claimed she had attempted to attack a soldier and sentenced her to 11 years in prison before her release in the prisoner exchange deal.