Israel Takes Six Escaped Palestinian Prisoners to Solitary Confinement

Nazareth, MINA – Israel takes six Palestinians who escaped from a high-security prison last month in solitary confinement.

Palestinian NGOs on Tuesday said the hands and feet of the six detainees were handcuffed around the clock.

Earlier on September 6, six Palestinian prisoners managed to escape from Gilboa prison which is known for its high security. They dug a tunnel from inside the prison cell to escape.

Israeli troops managed to recapture them after nearly a week of escaping from prison.

“Now, the six detainees are in solitary confinement in a number of prisons,” said Amin Shouman, head of the High Follow-Up Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs as quoted from Anadolu Agency.

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Shouman said the six Palestinian prisoners were placed in solitary confinement separately. They were held in Ayalon, Rimonim, Eshel, Ashkelon, and Ohalei Keidar prisons.

He confirmed the hands and feet of the six detainees were handcuffed at all times. Even the Israeli prison authorities do not allow the prisoners to bathe and deny them their rights.

Shouman said the decision to place detainees in solitary confinement was taken on orders from Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet.

He said one of the escaped prisoners, Mahmoud al-Arida, went on a hunger strike in protest at his prison conditions.

On Sunday, lawyers for the Nazareth central court filed charges against six detainees. The charges included illegal escape from prison. The penalty for this charge can be up to seven years in prison.

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So far, there are about 4,850 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. They include 40 women, 225 children, and 40 administrative prisoners. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)