Israel imposes further sanctions on Gilboa Prison escapees

The Israel Prison Service (IPS) has tightened its restrictions on the six Palestinian prisoners who escaped from Gilboa Prison in September 2021, the Palestinian Commission for Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs revealed on Wednesday.

The Israeli authorities have listed the six escapees — Mahmoud Ardah, Muhammad Ardah, Ayham Kammaji, Munadel Nafa’at, Zakariya Zubaidi and Yaqoub Qadri — as “extremely dangerous” prisoners. The Commission pointed out that the six prisoners are still being held in solitary confinement and other inhumane detention conditions.

Lawyer Karim Ajwa affirmed that Ayham Kammaji is being held in solitary confinement, denied his basic human needs and subjected to daily cell raids and searches. He added that the IPS refused Kammaji’s request to purchase a physiotherapy device, as he suffers from permanent muscle spasm and needs physical therapy.

Meanwhile, the IPS has renewed the administrative detention of journalist Nidal Abu Aker, 55, for an additional six months for the third time in a row. Administrative detainees are held indefinitely on the basis of “secret evidence” with neither charge nor trial. Father of three Abu Aker was re-arrested on 1 August 2022, nearly two and a half months after his release after spending 23 months in administrative detention.

There are currently 4,900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including 28 women.

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