Released Palestinians have described to The Associated Press worsening abuses in Israeli prisons crammed with thousands detained since the war in Gaza began 10 months ago. Israeli officials have acknowledged that they have made conditions harsher for Palestinians in prisons. Hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has boasted that prisons will no longer be "summer camps" under his watch. Four released Palestinians told the AP that treatment had dramatically worsened in prisons run by the ministry since the Oct. 7 attacks that triggered the latest war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Some emerged from months of captivity emaciated and emotionally scarred. A fifth prisoner could only muster the strength to speak for several minutes, saying he was regularly beaten.

The Israeli army has ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from much of Gaza's second largest city, Khan Younis. Monday's order is a sign that Israeli troops could soon return to the southern city. It's also an indication that Hamas has regrouped there. Israel wrapped up an offensive in Khan Younis earlier this year and withdrew most of its forces. Israel has said it is in the final stages of an offensive in the nearby Gaza city of Rafah. The new evacuation zone includes the major aid crossing to southern Gaza, along with an aid route inside the territory that Israel has said it would safeguard.