Agencies-Gaza post
A fierce campaign of arrests, and an escalation in the confrontation and resistance
Last May witnessed an increase in brutal and barbaric attacks implemented by the Israeli army, in addition to committing crimes and desecration of the yards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, accompanied by a huge campaign of arrests in all Palestinian cities.
Moreover, the Israeli occupation forces attacked the funerals of martyrs and implemented a vast campaign of arrests in a way that contradicts all religious beliefs, without taking into account the feelings of sadness of Martyrs’ relatives.
A case in point is the incidents happened during the funeral of the martyr Shireen Abu Aqleh, where the Israeli forces attacked the participants in the funeral, beat and arrested 14 persons. All of them were tortured and taken to interrogation centers.
In addition, various military operations have been implemented in Palestinian cities, especially Jenin camp and Huwara village.
The Israeli authorities resort to use arbitrary procedures and measures during arrests such as excessive violence and torture against Palestinians, in addition to collective punishments that include family members.
The total number of arrests on May 2022 reached to (530), the majority of them were from Jerusalem.
Jerusalem arrests in May,, an organized apartheid
It is obvious that Israel insists on using the policy of apartheid based on criminal and racist principles, aimed at Judaisation of Jerusalem and expel the Palestinian people from their lands.
Through following and documenting the incidents, it is obvious that the aggressive attack is increasing, which targets the land and the people. The whole world witnessed this barbaric attack, represented in desecrating the mosques and churches, using live ammunition and tear gas against worshippers.
Arrests were different last May, in terms of nature and method, where the data of the commission indicates that (336) arrest cases have been recorded against people from Jerusalem.
Many of them got released after huge efforts made by the lawyers of the commission and human rights organizations.
It is worthy to mention that the Commission has reinforced the legal team of the Commission’s lawyers in Jerusalem over the past two months and they are working all the time.
Women and minors. .. A story of continuous suffering
It’s certain that women and children are the most sensitive category in Israeli prisons, for many reasons, including the social and religious aspects of Palestinian women in addition to the customs and traditions and the feeble bodies of the minors who are under the age of 18, where they are unable to confront such detention, interrogation, trials, and torture.
The Israeli authorities still hold 31 women at Damoun prison, who live in very difficult conditions due to the brutal measures of the occupation authorities. They are subjected to many violations represented in installing surveillance cameras, specifying a time for using bathrooms and having water, depriving them of contacting their families, preventing them from continuing their education and preventing them from using the canteen, and many other flagrant violations.
Women detainees also suffer from bad and difficult health conditions and they are deprived of medication and appropriate diagnoses. A case in point is the detainee Israa Jaabees who suffers from burns of the third and fourth degree all over her body; she is the most difficult and intense case. She needs urgent plastic surgery and special clothes that suit her burned body, but the Israeli authorities refused to help her.
With regard to the minors at the age of 10 or 11, they are subjected to arrest without taking into consideration their childhood and they are subjected to interrogation and trials which contradicts international charters concerning treating children.
There are currently (172) minors detained at (Ofer, Megiddo, and Damon prisons).
Sick detainees… a crime of slow death in Israeli prisons
Palestinian detainees live in difficult health conditions in Israeli prisons, where they are subjected to many violations by the Israeli authorities represented in the policy of medical ignorance, procrastination in providing medical care, incorrect diagnosis and delaying important surgeries.
Thus, the medical ignorance caused the death of many detainees during detention and after being released.
There are currently (500) sick detainee according to the updat made by the legal team in the Commission, including (70) cases in need of intensive health care, especially the 22 detainees who have cancer.
A case in point is the detainee Naser Abu Hmaid. In addition, there are (11) detainee who have kidney diseases, and (38) handicapped detainees such as Muhammad Barrash, Nahed Aqra, Mansour Muqadeh and Khalid Shawish.
Moreover, there elderly sick detainees ( Muwafaq Erouq, Fuad Shobaki, Sameer Abu Naemeh) and the detainee Isra Jaabees who has burns all over her body.
With regard to the clinic of Al-ramla prison, it is a place specialised for death, which lacks the minimum elements of decent life. It is an old prison which is not suitable for human life.
There are currently (20) detainees who are held permanently in the clinic, the majority of them are disabled detainees and the place can’t fit their needs. It is worthy to mention that the quality and quantity of food served does not fit their medical conditions, which is a flagrant violation to all international agreements and charters.
The list of life sentences increases to (551)
The military court of the occupation at Ofer, issued a sentence of life imprisonment and 25 years against the detainee Ahmad Asafrah (37 years) from Hebron, arrested in August 2019 with the charge of resisting the occupation. In addition to a fine of one million and a half.
So, the number of detainees who are sentenced to life imprisonment increased to (551), the highest of which goes to the detainee. Abdullah Barghouthi who is sentenced to life imprisonment (67) times.
Administrative detention.. a means of collective punishment
The state of occupation is still misusing the administrative detention, and resort to it as a means of collective punishment and a method to take revenge on Palestinian people, including families, children and women.
The administrative detention is used under the pretext of precautionary allegations. However, it is implemented without change or fair trial, which is considered a crime according to the international law, and shall be stopped by the international community, taking into consideration that the Israeli authorities have issued more than 55.000 administrative detention orders since 1967.
Continuing this arbitrary detention is a real crime, where the international silence and the non- effective role in stopping this crime shall come to an end, in the light of holding conferences and international meetings discussing the democracy and human rights. We are one of the most people who are subjected to oppression and injustice, where the administrative detention is one of the most prominent violations and cruel crimes that contradict the international law.
Due to the silence, procrastination in responding to the popular and official Palestinian demands and the Israeli escalation in increasing the orders of administrative detention, detainees had to resort to the most difficult choices in collective and individual measures to confront the arbitrary administrative detention.
The past years witnessed a series of individual and collective hunger strikes, where the past 10 years witnessed an individual hunger strikes, where more than (400) detainees entered a strike protesting against their administrative detention.
Currently, there are (682) administrative detainees in Israeli prisons, held at Ofer, Naqab and Megiddo prisons, in difficult conditions, which motivated administrative detainees to boycott the Israeli military courts as a protest step to expose this occupation and they way they deal with Palestinian detainees.
Cases in point:
The detainee Khalil Awawdeh (40 years) from Hebron, arrested since December 27, 2021 and the detainee Raed Rayan (27 years) from Jerusalem, arrested since November 3, 2021.
They are on hunger strike since 92 days and 57 days respectively (until the issuing of this report), and live in harsh conditions, where they got transported between prisons and hospitals as a means of pressure to force them end their hunger strike, but their message is obvious, and ending their strike is linked to ending the administrative detention. There are currently (157) orders of administrative detention, including (82) nee orders and (75) extending orders.
(228) Martyrs of the Captive Movement.. unstoppable wheel
The state of occupation insists, since occupying Palestine, on making a special print in murdering our detainees in different ways such as torture, brutal interrogation, direct killings, or medical ignorance , where all crimes are committed in light of the silence of international community and the absence of international justice.
This encourages the occupation authorities to continue the inhumane and unethical behaviours , where they enjoy detaining, torturing and killing Palestinian people.
On Friday 13/5/2022, the Israeli authorities stormed into Jenin camp and shot Daoud Zubaidi, brother of the detainee Zakaria Zubaidi, on purpose to kill him. He got injured and transferred to Jenin hospital and then to Rumbam hospital in Haifa. After few hours, the occupation announced detaining Daoud, and imposed intense security on his room at the hospital.
Since the first moments of announcing the arrest of Daoud Zubaidi, the Israeli press stated to incite against him and his family demanding to murder him, which paved the way to assassinate Daoud.
According to eyewitnesses, Daoud’s health condition was stable, and then he was assassinated by two stages, the first when he was shot in the camp of Jenin by an Israeli sniper, and the second after arresting him at Rumbam hospital.
The Israeli authorities refused to deliver his body to his family in order to get buried according to the Islamic Sharea.
With the martyrdom of the detainee Daoud Zubaidi, the number of the martyrs of Captive Movement raised to (228) since 1967, and the retained bodies of the martyrs raised to (9), including Anees Dolah, retained since 1980, Azeez Ewaisat since 2018, Fares Baroud, Nassar Taqatqa and Bassam Sayeh since 2019, Saad Gharably and Kamal Abu Waar since 2020, Sami Emour since 2021 and Daoud Zubaidi since last May.
The aim of murdering detainees and retaining their bodies is to take revenge from them and punishing their families, by preventing their families to bury their bodies according to the Islamic Sharea.
In addition to hundreds who martyred after being released from prisons, during to diseases they caught from prisons. The last martyr Ihab kilani from Nablus, who passed away in May 16, after one month of his release due to medical ignorance.
Jelboa tunnel… a tournament broke the Israeli security system
The state of occupation still confused and lost after the shock they got due to the real tournament made by the six heroes of Jelboa prison, who succeeded in escaping from the most fortified prison, to say to the whole world that we love the life and thrive to it in all ways.
When the military, political and civil components of the Israeli community were very stressed, the opposite happened at all Palestinian levels, where they proved that all security procedures are worthless in front of the Palestinian will.
The six detainees were able to snatch away their freedom for days , where they kissed the pure land which cuddled them and fed them from its fruit. They went back to the solitary confinement while being more powerful and faithful that the freedom is absolutely coming.
In spite of all the Israeli endeavors to minimize this achievement and tournament, they failed.
A session has been held at Nazareth in 22/5/2022 to judge the six detainees in addition to other five detainees who helped them, where they issued unfair sentences which contradict international laws and agreements.
The sentences were as the following:
Muhammad and Mahmoud Arda, Ayham Kammji,Munadel Nfaiat, Yaqoub Qaderi and Zakaria Zubaidi were sentenced to additional five years with suspension of the sentence.
With regard to the helpers: Ali and Muhammad Abu Baker, Iyad Jaradat, Qusai Maree and Mahmoud Abu Shrain, were sentenced to 4 years and a fine of 2000 NIS.
The detainee Ahmad Manasra… a witness on the suppression of the occupation
The story refers to October 2015, after few days of “Jerusalem uprising ” , which erupted as a response to the crimes and violations of the Israeli authorities and its settlers against the Aqsa Mosque .
Israeli soldiers shot the minors Ahmad and Hasan Manasra near Pisgat Ze’ev settlement at Jerusalem, under the pretext of conducting stabbing attack.
They got injured and let to bleed without receiving the appropriate medical care, where Hasan was martyred.
With regard to Ahmad, he was 14 years old then, and he was injured, handcuffed and arrested. They took him to the interrogation center and was subjected to several kinds of physical and psychological abuse.
Despite what he was subjected to, represented in injury, torture, solitary confinement, medical ignorance and physical and psychological damage, the Israeli authorities did not take into account his childhood and sentenced him to 12 years of imprisonment, and after one year the sentence was mitigated to 9 years, in addition to a fine of 180.000 NIS.
Moreover, the administration of prisons did not take into consideration his mental and health conditions, and put him in solitary confinement for long time which increased his suffering and caused several diseases and psychological shock.
The Israeli Central Court in beersheba held a session to decide on the plea submitted by his lawyer, but they refused the request of early demand.
In May 18, 2022, the Israeli court held a session at Eshil prison to decide in the request of the prisons administration to extend the isolation of the detainee Ahmad Manasra for other six months, and decided to delay the sentence till June 15, with keeping Ahmad in isolation.
This confirms that the occupation is consistent in its crimes not caring about his mental and health issues.
The case of Ahmad Manasra is one of the most prominent issues that should be alive, where it needs legal and popular events to end his solitary confinement and release him.
The list of senior detainees is increasing
214 detainees spent more than 20 years in Israeli prisons
Days and years pass while the heroes are paying a high price for defending their lands. The list of “senior detainees” is a term related to detainees who spent more than 20 years in prison. This list increases by the end of May to (214) detainees, including (37) detainees who spent more than 25 years in prison. Those are called “Generals of patience”, (25) of them were arrested before the Oslo Accord, (17) spent 30 years respectively, and (8) detainees spent more than 35 years, the oldest of whom are the detainees Kareem Younis and Maher Younis who were arrested in 1983.
Moreover, there are tens of detainees who have been released by the Shaleet bargain and got rearrested in 2014, such as the detainee Nael Barghouthi who spent more than 42 years in prison on two stages.
It is worthy to mention that this increase in the number of detainees who spent more than 20 years of prison is due to the policy of deterrence in issuing sentences, which is based on instructions by the Israeli intelligence service.
The suffering of detainees from Gaza Strip
The Israeli authorities arrested (13) detainees from Gaza Strip on May 2022, 10 of them work as Fishermen. In addition, three other Palestinians from Gaza have been arrested after passing the boarders towards the lands occupied in 1948. Besides, many Palestinians have been arrested at Bait Hanoun checkpoint last May.
The Israeli authorities still holding nearly (200) detainees from Gaza Strip, including (26) detainees who are sentenced to life imprisonment, (17) detainees are included in the list of senior detainees who served more than 20 years, the oldest of whom is the detainee Deyaa Agha, arrested since 30 years.
A case in point is the detainee Muhammad Halabi (44 years), arrested on June 15, 2016 at Bait Hanoun checkpoint. He was trialed for (169) times, being one of the longest- running trials in history.
Family visits for Gaza detainees
It is worthy to mention that the detainees of Gaza Strip were deprived of family visits for two years since March 2020 until March 2022, under the pretext of the epidemic of Corona Virus. Last March, (8 persons were able to visit (4) detainees at Eshil prison in Beersheba, which increased the number of families who visited detainees, where (36) family member were allowed to see (24) detainees at Nafha, Remon and Eshil prisons. The schedule of family visits is irregular yet, and there are a lot of unresolved issues with the international committee of the Red Cross.
