SIXTY Palestinians detained by Israel have been returned to Gaza, arriving at a hospital in Khan Younis with injuries, some unable to walk.

The men were brought by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Nasser Medical Complex on Monday, in the largest prisoner release since the so-called ceasefire took effect in October.

They are among nearly 1,300 Gazans held by Israel as “unlawful combatants,” according to Israeli rights group HaMoked.

Abdullah Kilani, held for more than 18 months, said he was shot during his detention.

“The conditions were extremely harsh. I still can’t believe I’m free,” he told Anadolu news.

Another man, Abu Ibrahim, said prisoners were kept on bare concrete and beaten with rifle butts, saying: “There was no distinction between young men and the elderly.”

The men were held across Ofer, Negev and Sde Teiman prisons, facilities rights groups say subject Palestinians to systematic torture, including beatings, medical neglect and prolonged restraint.

About 9,600 Palestinians remain held by Israel, some of them children.

A UN commission of inquiry reported last month that Palestinian children arrested by Israel were subjected to torture and sexual abuse.