Forty prisoners injured and 16 transferred to solitary confinement

Reports from Israel claim that more than 40 Palestinian prisoners were injured on Tuesday morning in Israel’s Eshel prison, with 16 placed in solitary confinement, after Israeli soldiers with dogs broke into their tents.

The soldiers used batons to hit 200 prisoners who were obliged to stay outside in direct sunlight for hours. They also damaged a lot of the prisoners’ private property and confiscated their personal electric fans. The reports say that prisoners’ privileges, such as a canteen and access to television, have been withdrawn.

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The prisoners have since announced that they are going on a hunger strike unless they are given back their rights and belongings, and the prisoners in solitary confinement are returned to the normal part of the prison.

Waed Association for Prisoners and Ex-prisoners condemned the actions of the prison authorities, describing it as “collective punishment and unjustified aggression against prisoners who refused to undergo naked inspections”.

A statement by the association explained that “the Israelis wanted to carry out a check-in for prisoners while they are naked; scuffles broke out when the prisoners refused to comply.” The special “Nakhshon” officers, who have a dark history in dealing with prisoners, was called in and carried out the assault on the prisoners. Such actions are carried out regularly by the Israeli prison service against Palestinian prisoners.

According to B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, the number of Palestinians prisoners in Israeli jails is 4,437; more than 300 are being held without trial.