Palestinians freed after being arrested by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip told AFP on Sunday that they had been tortured while in custody, a claim denied by Israel’s armed forces.

The men are among hundreds of Palestinians arrested during the army’s ground operations in the Gaza Strip since October 27 and questioned on suspicion of links to Hamas. About twenty of them were admitted today to Najar Hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, after being released.

“They have bruises and marks from blows on their bodies,” said the hospital’s director, Marwan al-Hams.

One of the former prisoners, 22-year-old Nayef Ali, bears signs of binding on his wrists and slashes on his body, according to AFP photos. The young man explained that he was arrested in the Zeitoun neighborhood in eastern Gaza City.

“They separated the men from the women and kept us in a house that they had taken (by the Israeli soldiers). We were handcuffed behind our backs for two days. We didn’t have anything to drink or eat, we weren’t even allowed to use the toilets, they just beat us,” he claimed.

Ali said the prisoners were then gathered in a zone on the border with Israel where it was very cold. “We were doused with ice water before being taken to a prison (in Israel) where the torture and beatings continued.”

Another former prisoner, Hamish al-Bardini, 55, said Israeli soldiers mistreated him. “They threw ice water on our heads all night and beat us during the day. Then they took us to a prison, we don’t know what it’s called or where it is,” he said.

When asked about these accusations, the Israeli army replied that the treatment of the prisoners is in accordance with international law. “While in custody the suspects are provided with adequate food and water and treated according to established protocol,” he added in his statement.

The Israeli military has come under heavy criticism in recent weeks after footage emerged showing Palestinian detainees in their underwear, blindfolded, and guarded by Israeli soldiers. On December 19, the military announced it was investigating “terrorist deaths in military detention centers,” without specifying how many died or the circumstances of their deaths.