Settler car assault victim placed under house arrest

[ 18/10/2010 - 07:27 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- One of the Palestinian boys who were recently run down by the car of an Israeli settler in Jerusalem’s Silwan district last week as seen on television was placed under house arrest. Israeli news reported Monday that the boy, who was arrested about ten days back on charges of throwing rocks at the car of Elad foundation chief David Be’eri, will be under house arrest for two more weeks and must remain in his residence for the entire time. Sources added that Israeli security forces imposed a NIS 2,000 fine (around $560) on the boy’s parents in addition to them paying a bail bond of NIS 10,000 (around $2,800). The development is one in a series of abuse targeting Palestinian minors. Two other minors from the Wadi Al Jawz section of Jerusalem were put under house arrest for at least 20 days. ----------- House arrest for child run down by settler   JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- An Israeli court on Sunday ordered the release of a 12-year-old boy, detained on 8 October after he was filmed being run down by an Israeli settler organization leader in Silwan in East Jerusalem. Omran Muhammad Mansour was released on 2,000 shekels bail (around $560), and his family was ordered to sign a further 10,000 shekels bail. The court also decided that Omran will be placed under house arrest, and will only be permitted to leave his home to go to school, accompanied by one of his parents, Ma'an's correspondent said. The boy was detained from his home, after being identified in news footage being hit by Elad leader David Be'eri with his car. Omran was one of two children seen throwing stones at the vehicle, during protests in the flashpoint neighborhood. Several weeks of unrest in Silwan had followed the killing of a Palestinian resident by an Israeli settler guard on 22 September. The Israeli news site Ynet said Be'eri was questioned by police, and released on bail the same day.

IOF soldiers detain Palestinian MP

[ 18/10/2010 - 09:14 AM ]

AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) broke into the home of Palestinian MP Hatem Qufaisha south of Al-Khalil city before dawn Monday and took him away, his family said. The family members told the PIC reporter that an IOF unit encircled the home of Dr. Qufaisha at 0100 am Monday and arrested him after allowing him to change his clothes. The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) had released the MP from custody in November 2009 after more than a year and a half in administrative detention. Qufaisha was arrested three times at the hands of the IOF during the current parliament's tenure and was held in IOA custody for 100 months on aggregate mostly in administrative detention without charge or trial. Qufaisha is a well-known social and political figure in Al-Khalil. His brother Subhi was targeted by militias of the PA in Ramallah and by the IOF. Subhi is currently held in the IOA Ofer prison serving a three-month administrative detention since mid September. The international campaign to release kidnapped deputies denounced the detention of Qufaisha and called for an international decision to bridle the IOA and its unprecedented acts in history of world parliaments. ---------- Israel continues political detention campaign   Published yesterday (updated) 18/10/2010 12:36   BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained a Hamas-affiliated member of the Palestinian Legislative Council on Monday from the southern West Bank district of Hebron. Hatem Qafaish, elected to the Palestinian parliament in 2006 with Hamas' Change and Reform bloc, was detained after Israeli forces ransacked his home, a local source told Ma'an. The PLC member was detained on 6 November 2007 and placed under administrative detention until his release in 2009. Palestinian journalist Raed Ash-Sharif, working with a local Hebron radio station, was also detained. According to the Ad-Dameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights organization, Qafaish had been detained by Israel five times previous to his latest detention. He was elected to the PLC in January 2006 after campaigning from his prison cell. Qafaish was also among the more than 400 activists Israel deported to Marj Al-Zuhur in southern Lebanon in December 1992. After returning to the West Bank in 1993, he chronicled his experience in exile in a series of articles in the Al-Quds newspaper. He intended to eventually to publish a memoir, but the manuscript was confiscated by Israeli prison guards. There are six Hamas-affiliated PLC members in Israeli, detained shortly after the Islamist movement's electoral victory. Following the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in June 2006 in a cross-border raid in Gaza, Israel launched a detention campaign targeting Hamas affiliated PLC members in a bid to secure the soldier's release. A second campaign was launched in 2009, after Israel, Hamas and a German mediator, failed to come to a prisoner swap deal under Ehud Olmert's premiership. Many of those detained in the later campaign were handed down administrative detention sentences, according to a report issued in June, with others receiving prison terms. The majority were released shortly after. Since the beginning of 2010, a number of Hamas PLC members were released, including Mohammad Abu Teir. Shortly after his release, Abu Teir was again detained, issued a revocation order for his Jerusalem residency rights, and handed down a deportation warrant. He is currently being remanded in custody until Israel's Supreme Court hears his case. Abu Teir is among three other elected Change and Reform parliamentarians who are faced with deportation from Jerusalem. One lawyer told Ma'an that under all legal precedents, lawmakers are immune while sitting in office. Israel, the lawyer said, has violated this legal norm both by jailing Palestinian PLC members in the West Bank and passing laws within the Israeli Knesset removing Palestinian-Israeli members' immunity under the pretense of spying for an enemy state. Thirty-one detainees stood for the Palestinian general elections in January 2006, with 15 becoming members of the PLC.

Hamdan: Visit by German mediator did not bring anything new to Shalit deal

[ 17/10/2010 - 06:51 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas foreign relations head Osama Hamdan denied  TV reports about the German mediator bridging many of the gaps in the prisoner swap deal. Hamdan said Sunday that talks about progress of the trade-off with Hamas are an attempt by Netanyahu to shake off internal pressure from Shalit’s family and others on their side. “There is recognition within [Israel] that Netanyahu is the reason for the delay of the deal, so he is trying to suggest there is progress in the deal while it is he who impairs it,” he added. Hamdan said Hamas is keen on resuming negotiations over the prisoner deal, adding: “There were [agreements] reached previously. And any negotiations must be based on the understandings that Netanyahu backed down on afterward.” Netanyahu said in an interview with Israeli Radio that there was progress in the prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, and that rapid efforts were under way to release Shalit and return him to his family. Netanyahu said negotiations for the trade-off resumed two weeks back during a visit by the German mediator to Tel Aviv and the Gaza Strip. Hamas asserted that the mediator came without bringing anything new to the table. For his part, Palestinian analyst Mustafa Al Sawaf said Hamas is looking forward to carrying out the deal in accordance with principles set by resistance factions who have Gilad Shalit detained in their custody. For that reason, Hamas prefers not to comment much on the visit by the German mediator to Gaza and the talks he made, Sawaf said. “Hamas as usual has committed to its obligations, namely not to use the media for the trade deal,” he continued. The Israeli Prime Minister announced that the Shalit negotiations were resumed after a visit by the German mediator, while Hamas committed to silence, saying it was a routine visit. The analyst proposed that the German mediator may have been delivering a message from the Israeli government to Hamas calling for resumed negotiations in the prisoner exchange based on the same point talks were left off several months back. He believed that Netanyahu may have for political objectives deliberately raised the issue to distract public opinion inside Israel in light of controversy about other issues, such as the imposition of vow of loyalty to Israel and settlement activity. Sawaf said he anticipates that Hamas briefed the mediator on its position and responded to Netanyahu’s letter, a move that would place “the ball in Netanyahu’s court.” “If Netanyahu wants to complete the deal, he must [meet with the demands of the resistance movement], and then Shalit will be freed and at liberty.”

Netanyahu to relaunch efforts towards prisoner swap deal

[ 17/10/2010 - 04:54 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said continued action will be taken to release Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian resistance, through a swap deal with Hamas. Israeli Radio quoted Sunday Netanyahu as saying: “Israel will continue to work in different ways to guarantee the release of Shalit. There are major efforts being made in this regard, but the greater part of them will take place in a natural setting away from the media.” “The Shalit case’s return to headlines does not mean we were absent all along,” Netanyahu added. Renewed negotiations for the swap deal constitute one of the main channels Israel will use to release Shalit, who has been captured by resistance factions in the Gaza Strip since 2006. Netanyahu noted that intermittent contacts with Hamas since the end of last year have been relaunched during a visit by the German mediator to Gaza about two weeks ago. Hamas downplayed the visit saying it “did not bring anything new.”

IOA refuses to allow medical specialists to visit prisoners in Ramla hospital

[ 17/10/2010 - 04:44 PM ]

WEST BANK, (PIC)-- The Palestinian prisoner committee said that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) refused to allow a specialized medical committee to visit the Palestinian patients under detention in the Ramla prison hospital and held it fully responsible for their lives. The committee added in its statement that the Palestinian patients in this hospital are not provided with appropriate medical care and their lives are under constant threat of death. It explained that the hospital administration stopped the natural therapy which the prison doctors prescribed for prisoner Suleiman Abu Drie, who lost the ability to move because of the medical neglect, adding that his medical condition is getting worse and the prison administration still refuses to allow him to undergo necessary medical tests to determine the causes of his illness. Prisoner Mohamed Abu Libda also suffered many severe complications after the failure of many surgeries he underwent in prison and became paralyzed in his lower body, the committee said. It also pointed to the deteriorating health conditions of prisoners Omar Khattab, who suffers from prostate problems and infections, and Murad Abu Ma'ilik, who suffers from serious problems in his large intestine.

Tensions mount in Silwan as Israel detains child, threatens to take down tent

[ 17/10/2010 - 11:19 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli forces arrested Sunday morning the child Imran Mansur, 11, while in poor medical condition in his Wadi Hilwa home in Jerusalem’s Silwan district. His parents were not allowed to escort him but were ordered to appear later at the police station. Imran is the victim of last week’s automobile assault carried out by settler leader David Be’eri who has headed a judiazation campaign in Silwan since the late ‘80’s. In a separate development, locals reported an atmosphere of caution among Palestinians in Jerusalem’s Silwan district amid talks between locals about police plans to carry out threats to take down a sit-in tent in the Bustan district. Israeli police summoned Naeem Rowaidi ordering him to remove the sit-in tent set up on the roof of his house. They granted him a grace period until 8:00am Sunday morning to take down the tent. “I did not build this tent, it is the property of the town and its people. I will not remove the tent with my own hands,” he responded to police. ----------- Second child detained seen struck down by settler   Published today (updated) 17/10/2010 18:55   JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli police detained a 12-year-old boy on Sunday who was seen on video being struck down by an Israeli settler organization leader in the flashpoint East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on 8 October. Omran Muhammad Mansour was taken to the Russian compound detention center in Jerusalem for questioning and was not allowed to be accompanied by his parents, Ma'an's correspondent said. Mansour was one of the two children seen being hit by Elad leader David Be'eri with his car as they threw stones at him during protests in the neighborhood during weeks of unrest following the killing of a Palestinian resident by an Israeli settler guard on 22 September. A spokesman for Israel's National Police did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. On Tuesday, Israeli authorities detained a young boy after identifying him in footage capturing Be'eri running down the group of children in the neighborhood. The boy was spotted in news footage of the incident aired by The Associated Press, Jawad Seyam, director of Wad Helwa Information Centre in the Silwan neighborhood, told Ma'an.

DCI Report: IOA child arrests on the rise

[ 17/10/2010 - 11:16 AM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- The Defense for Children International (DCI) marked a sharp rise this year in Israeli arrests against Palestinian children in Jerusalem and the West Bank. According to Military Order 1591, military commanders may legally place Palestinian citizens under administrative detention without charges or trial for up to six months. The order also allows for sentences in such cases to be extended. Six months after Military Order 1644, relating to juvenile military courts, took effect, no changes were reportedly made in the military courts’ attitude as relates to trials against minors. However, in most cases there is a room inside military courts allocated for examining child-related cases. The change is considered a formality and does not meet minimum standards for fair trials against children as guaranteed by international conventions and principles. The movement said based on the testimonies of some children who were released from detention, Israeli police treated minors poorly and physically and morally tortured them to force out confessions. The use of violence when arresting children in front of their families with the use of beatings and intimidation with dogs could be a blatant expression to perpetuate the use of violence against children, the movement noted. The movement also highlighted recent decisions issued by Israeli courts sentencing children to be expelled from their homes.

Palestinian prisoners gearing to go on hunger strike

[ 16/10/2010 - 04:52 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Palestinian Prisoners Movement leaders called on all concerned parties to gear to join forces with Palestinian prisoners in their next battle with the Israeli prison administration. Prisoners in Israeli detention, writing to the Prisoner Studies Center on Saturday, said they will soon begin an open-ended hunger strike “Irish style”, on water and salt only. The strike, which will be voluntary from beginning to end, will be announced at the moment when one of the top prison leaders will begin by himself to mark the first stage in agreement with all prisoners. Then, 50 prisoners will join the strike during the first weekend. In conjunction with the above mentioned prisoners, other inmates will begin to go on strike with them for one day only. The prisoners said their actions “will pick up in the second week” with 100 other prisoners joining the hunger strike. All prisoners will begin a solidarity strike for one other day to coincide with them. The strike will escalate on the third week when 100 prisoners go on strike with all prisoners striking with them for two consecutive days. In the fourth week, after 21 days of fasting, the door will be open for prisoners to strike how they choose. The Prisoners Center said the strike will go on until all of the demands of the National Prisoners Movement are met. The strike will not end until the entire prisoner dialogue committee meets and forces the prison administration to meet with the committee to consult in one place for an agreement. Prisoner Center director Rafat Hamdouna stressed that the strike is purely to achieve demands and has no political dimensions. The demands, as set out in the letter, are to bring solitary confinement prisoners to the regular wards, to reach a solution for the visits problem and the women and juvenile prisoners issue, to allow prisoners to communicate with their families, to solve health and education issues, and to put an end to searches, torture, and fines.

Protester Jamal Yassin to Remain in Jail Despite Lack of Evidence

Popular Struggle Coordination Committee

Jamal Sameeh Yassin from the village of Beit Rimma was arrested more than three months ago in connection with Nabi Saleh demonstrations. He remains in jail without any evidence being presented in his trial to date.

Yassin was arrested from his home on July 13th, 2010, during a military night raid on the village of Beit Rimma, north west of Ramallah. He was arrested on charges of stone-throwing during a demonstration against illegal settlement expansion into Palestinian lands in the village of Nabi Saleh.
His arrest and the indictment filed against him were based solely on an incriminating testimony implicating a man named Jamal Smeeh al-Haj with stone-throwing during said demonstrations in Nabi Saleh.
Despite the faulty identification, Yassin's denial of the suspicions against him and the fact that police did not even bother to look into the question of identification, Jamal was remanded until the end of legal proceedings in his case by the military court.
To this date, the witness who allegedly incriminated Yassin was not brought in front of court to testify, despite three different court sessions held in the case, in which the prosecution was given the chance to summon him.
Last Tuesday, during the 3rd hearing, the prosecution once more asked for more time to bring  its witness in front of court, saying that due to operational restrictions, the subpoena issued by the court in the previous hearing could not be carried out. The prosecutor also claimed that a significant period of time will be need for the army to carry out the subpoena.
The defense lawyer, Adv. Nery Ramati pleaded that the defendant should not be the one to pay the price of the prosecution's ill-competence, and that he should either be acquitted and released without condition or be released on restrictive conditions until a verdict in the case.
In a hearing that took place today, the judge, Major Tzvi Heilborn, decided to reject the defense's request and grant the prosecution two more weeks to execute the subpoena. Jamal Yassin, meanwhile, remains in jail on account of an incrimination of dubious nature, which was not yet brought in front of the court, and without any other evidence against him.

Palestinian detainees: Our strike to restore our rights

 

14-10-2010,09:43

 

Al Qassam website - Palestinian detainee Yehya Ibrahim Sinwar, head of the senior leadership of the detainees, said that Hamas detainees in the Zionist jails are preparing for strike inside their jails.

Sinwar said in a private message sent to his comrades of detainees and was obtained by Al Qassam website "We believe that this strike inside the jails will be a Watershed in the history of the detainees."

He added that the strike will be announced inside the jails when he announces that he entered the strike.

Implementation

Sinwar confirmed that fifty detainees will join the strike in the first week, 15 from Nafha jail, 15 from Ramon, 5 from Eshel jail, 5 from Hadarim jail, and the rest of the detainees are from the other jails.

During the second week, one hundred detainee will join to the strike 25 from Nafha jail, 25 from Ramon jail, 15 from Eshel, 15 from Hadarim and the rest of the detainees are from the other jails. 

Sinwar said in his statement "The food during the strike will be water and salt only. He also notified that the detainees have the freedom to participate or not and detainees who have no experience, sick people and women are excused from participating in the strike.

Demands

The Palestinian detainees have demands to be obtained from this strike "Our demands are concentrated in returning the isolated detainees to the jails, solving the problem of preventing visits, solving the problems of children and female detainees and solving the problems of health, education, punishment and conditions of life.

At the end of his letter, Sinwar demanded the supporters of the Palestinian detainees cause inside and outside Palestine to do their duty and organize a campaign to support them.

Palestinian Female Prisoners and the Struggle for Freedom

Qassam

 

by reham alhelsi

Palestinian women have always stood side by side with their fathers, brothers, husbands, comrades to resist the Zionist occupation, to fight for freedom and legitimate rights. They are the first to go to the streets to protest the brutality of the Israeli military occupation, the first to organize sit-ins and marches demanding the release of their children, brothers and fathers from Israeli prisons. They are the protectors, the supporters, but most of all they are the comrades in the fight for a free Palestine.

They protect their children, fathers, brothers and husbands from the Zionist invader come to kidnap, beat or kill. They support their families when their fathers, brothers or husbands are imprisoned or killed by the Israeli terrorist troops. They embrace the land and kiss the olive tree. They pave the way for resistance and shape it with their blood. They are the olive tree steadfast in the face of usurpers in Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem and Al-Jalil. They are the poppy decorating Palestinian hilltops in Jerusalem, Hebron and Safad.

They are the butterflies kissing the fields of Hebron, Jenin and Bisan. They are the fresh breeze of Haifa, Yaffa, Acca and Gaza. They are the stone, powerful, strong and only taking leave of the soil to hit the usurper in the face. They are the daughters of Palestine; fearless, steadfast, patient. They are the mother, the sister, the daughter and the comrade of the martyr, the freedom-fighter and the prisoner. They are the martyr, the freedom-fighter and the prisoner.

They are the guardians of the revolution and the symbol of steadfastness. They are Palestine embracing its children, protecting them and leading them. Since 1967 more than 800,000 Palestinians, including 15,000 Palestinian women, were detained by the Zionist entity. During the First Intifada 3000 women were detained and during Al-Aqsa Intifada more than 900 women were locked up behind Israeli bars. There are daily raids and detentions.

Sometimes the detained are released after a few days, after a few weeks or remain in detention indefinitely. Alone in June 2010 some 334 Palestinians were detained, including 4 women. Currently, there are 36 Palestinian female prisoners in the Israeli prisons Damon, HaSharon and Neve Tirza: 4 from Jerusalem, 3 from the Palestinian area occupied in 1948, 28 from the West Bank and 1 from the Gaza Strip. 6 of the prisoners await trial, 3 are administrative detainees, 27 are sentenced; of whom 5 are serving life sentences.

Palestinian female detainees, like their brothers in detention, suffer from the brutality of the Israeli Prison Authority. They are exposed to abuse, humiliation and are subjected to more than 20 forms of violations. They are tortured, beaten, harassed, insulted, tied up for hours under hot sun or under rain, deprived of sleep, isolated, punished with high fines for no reason, subjected to the continuous use of tear gas in their cells, continuously denied family visits and calls back home and letters are sent or distributed only once every 3 months.

They are also subjected to harsh and humiliating midnight raids and body searches. On 24.06.2010 Israeli special forces (Golan) in the Damon prison broke into the cells of Palestinian female prisoners in the early morning, assaulted the prisoners, searched the cells and forced them to undress, to sit in a humiliating squatting position for 4 hours under the pretext of inspection.

Also, Israeli prison authority prevents Palestinian female prisoners from acquiring more than one book, doesn’t allow them to send out or get in any embroidery work or magazines and decides the number of clothing pieces each prisoner is allowed to possess. The cells are small, over-crowded, damp, lack hygiene, no sun or fresh air enters them and they are infested with insects and mice. They are cold in winter and hot in summer. Because Palestinian female prisoners aren’t allowed to receive any items from their families, they are forced to buy what they need from the prison canteens. Water is very dirty and undrinkable and food is inedible, forcing the detainees to buy their food and water from the prison canteen for very high prices.

Not only are the prices there extremely high, the canteen also lacks many items Palestinian prisoners need. Some political prisoners are also locked up with Israeli criminals who abuse them regularly while Israeli prison forces watch. One method of punishment favored by Israeli prison forces is reducing family visitation from 45 minutes to 15 minutes, or cancelling all visitations despite the hardships the families endure to reach the prisons. Du’a’ Al-Jayyousi from Tulkarim was detained in 2002. Her only brother isn’t allowed to visit her, and when he got married, the prison authority refused to allow her to phone him.

Military court reverses minor's release

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- An Israeli military court reversed Wednesday a ruling granting the release of a 12-year-old last week, keeping him in detention until legal procedures are complete, his lawyer said.

Sayel Rebhi Abu Quedair's bail was set at 5,000 shekels ($1,391.75) after he was detained from his school on 27 September on suspicion of throwing stones at Israeli forces, lawyer Nasser An-Nobani said, adding that the child, from Hebron, had been beaten during the arrest.

Prisoner Society director Qadura Fares denounced the court's decision, demanding all countries that are signatories to the International Convention of the Right of the Child to "actively move to curb Israel from targeting Palestinians and abusing them in military courts."

On 4 October, the military prosecution at the Ofer detention center delayed Abu Quedair's release by 72 hours to file an appeal against the court's decision to release the child.

Abu Quedair was detained days after 13-year-old Akram Da'an was arrested from his school in the Old City of Hebron by Israeli forces and tried for throwing stones at troops.

Da'an was later released following six days of detention and fined 2,000 shekels ($545). A Palestinian Prisoner Society lawyer said the military court ruled that Da'na was not allowed to return to his family home until his next trial is heard. During Da'na's hearing, he said, the military prosecutor objected to the child's release, prolonging the session for over an hour.

The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Information denounced the trial and arrest in a statement issued Monday, and called on Israel to release the 350 Palestinian children currently in Israeli custody.

In March 2010, an Israeli military tribunal released 12-year-old Al-Hassan Al-Muhtaseb after his father refused to pay a similar bailout fee, instead pledging to bring him in for trial if called.

At the time, the child's lawyer said no indictment had been filed nor were they any witnesses that Al-Muhtaseb, who was detained near his home in Hebron, had thrown stones on Israeli forces.

(This version CORRECTS that Abu Quedair remains in detention and was not placed under house arrest.)

------------

Israeli military appeals court renews detention of Palestinian child

[ 13/10/2010 - 03:25 PM ]

NABLUS, (PIC)-- The Israeli military court of appeals on Tuesday accepted a request by the Israeli military prosecution and annulled a preliminary military court verdict releasing a 15-year-old Palestinian boy. Lawyer Jawad Buloos, the head of the Palestinian prisoners' association's legal unit, said that the case started on 27/9 when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested Sayel Abu Quaider, 15, near his school in Al-Khalil after alleging he was throwing stones at the soldiers. The boy denied the charge but a soldier testified that the boy threw one stone and based on this testimony he was arrested, Buloos added. When Quaider was brought to court his face was bruised, the lawyer noted, adding that the soldier who arrested him dashed his face into a nearby wall. An indictment was leveled against the boy after which the military prosecution demanded his detention until finalization of legal procedures against him but the judge at the preliminary military court ordered his release on 3/10 due to his young age and because he was injured during his arrest.

Two Palestinians exposed to attempted murder, sexual abuse in Israeli jails

[ 13/10/2010 - 01:35 PM ]

Al-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Different sources told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that two Palestinian young prisoners were exposed in separate incidents to torture, attempted murder and sexual abuse by some Israeli jailers. A source close to prisoner Jihad Al-Matwar, 18, said that Matwar was kidnapped from his home two days ago in Sa'ir town in Al-Khalil city and severly beaten before taking him for interrogation in Etzion prison. The source affirmed that an Israeli interrogator brutally beat Matwar and wrapped a rope around his neck until he fell unconscious. The prisoner is still in Israeli jails and his family expressed its deep concern about his life.  An ex-detainee in Ezion prison told the PIC that any Israeli soldier tried to rape a 21-year old Palestinian young man in the same prison. He said that the soldier handcuffed and blindfolded this prisoner, forced him to go to a store down the interrogation room and started to remove his clothes, but other soldiers rushed to the place and saved the Palestinian young man after they heard him scream for help. The source added the assaulted young man was exposed to further torture by another Israeli interrogator after he filed a complaint against his assailant. In the context of the Israeli violations against Palestinian prisoners, the national campaign for the support of prisoners said on Tuesday that Israel execute hundreds of prisoners slowly and extrajudicially in its jails either by torturing or medically neglecting them. On the occasion of the world day against the death penalty, the national campaign affirmed that Israel continues to detain Palestinian patients and refuse to provide them with appropriate medical treatment until their health deteriorates very seriously and they become at risk of death any moment. It noted that 70 Palestinian prisoners died of torture or medical neglect in Israeli jails till now. In a separate incident, the national committee of Jordanian prisoners and missing persons said it would hold next Wednesday a conference for the support of Jordanian citizens jailed or lost in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Israeli authorities release detainee's wife

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities released Sajida Al-Awawda, 20, after being detained for several hours at an Israeli detention center south Hebron on Monday.

Israeli authorities detained Al-Awawdaon Monday evening while she was in front of Hebron University. She was released after several hours of investigations.

Nablus center calls for release of sick detainees

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Nablus branch of the Detainees' Society appealed Tuesday to human rights groups to pressure Israel into release detainees in ill health.

Society director Raed Amer said there was a large number of unwell detainees that require immediate transferal to hospital for surgery or treatment.

Amer added that detainees' parents are concerned for prisoners' lives in Israeli prisons due to deteriorating health.