Israel Abuses Palestinian Prisoners
Following the escape of some Palestinian prisoners from Gilboa Central Prison, the prison police of Masada and Nahshon intensified their suppressive practices against Palestinian prisoners in various prisons under Israeli control, including Ofer Prison, bordering Ramallah city in the West Bank.
In Gilboa Prison, where the escape took place, all prisoners in Section 5 were transferred to isolation cells without specifying their whereabouts. The prison administrations also destroyed all the prisoners’ belongings and subjected them to severe beatings while moving them from the prison.
In the Negev prison, the prisoners were forced to burn their rooms to prevent the Israeli security forces from assaulting and beating them, however large police and army forces attacked, beat the prisoners and took them to unknown locations.
The Nahshon forces of the Israeli Prisons Administration also stormed the Palestinian prisoners’ section in Ashkelon Prison, and searched two rooms there and intensified punitive measures against prisoners, although most of them suffer from chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and severe injuries while denying them medical care.
These repressive measures took place in most prisons with Palestinian prisoners. The prisoners were subjected to naked searches and beatings in Megiddo, Damon, Nafha, Raymond and Ramleh. They were also deprived of family visits and the hour break of cells, as well as confiscating televisions and cooking equipment.
A state of tension still prevails in all prisons of the occupation, especially after the prison administration tried to prevent them from performing prayers in the yards of prisons and subjected them to collective punishments following the escape that took place in Ashkelon prison.
The Israeli police forces were able to arrest four of the escaped prisoners following intelligence information that determined their whereabouts in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948, near the Arab city of Nazareth and its surroundings.
