Palestinian inmates’ number in Israeli jails tops 7,000

By: Ahmad Hammadi

RAMALLAH: Official statistics showed the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has reached 7,400 until the end of June, severely condemning the policy of torture and abuse in Israeli prisons.

The monthly report released by the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners Affairs said 98 percent of the prisoners have been subjected to torture during interrogation and imprisonment where they are kept in cold rooms, sleep deprivation and standing up for long periods of time.

166 prisoners died during detention including 31 for lack of medical treatment, 68 under torture and 67 as a result of extra-judicial executions, the report said.

The number of prisoners whose cases have been documented in the jails of the Israeli occupation authorities stands at 6,066 of whom who 5,371 are from the West Bank, 602 from Gaza and 93 from 1948 Palestine.

Some 100 Palestinian women prisoners are languishing in Israeli jails out of 250 who have been arrested. Of these 28 were sentenced to various terms, 69 are being detained. There are 18 mothers of the prisoners who left behind 75 children.

The report said 145 prisoners are suffering slip disc problems, heart or and arthritis diseases and poor sight and visual impairment while another 828 suffer from chronic diseases.

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