Dozen more Palestinian prisoners test positive for coronavirus in Israeli detention center
A Palestinian human rights group has voiced concern over the health condition of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, saying dozen more detainees have tested positive for coronavirus.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said in a report that the recently infected prisoners are being kept in Section 3 of Gilboa prison in northern Israel, the Arabic-language Arab48 news website reported.
It added that the Palestinian prisoners, who have contracted the virus, have been in contact with most of detainees in the section, warning that the actual total number of infected people could be far greater than thought.
The PPS highlighted that nearly 90 Palestinian prisoners are currently held behind bars in Section 3 of Gilboa prison, and they are among some 360 people who are imprisoned in the four sections of the detention center.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society stated that the new infections brought to 43 the number of Palestinian inmates, who have been infected with COVID-19.
The PPS then called on international human rights institutions, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in particular, to assume their responsibilities and exert more pressure on Israeli authorities to agree to the deployment of an impartial medical committee that would supervise Palestinian prisoners’ sample collection and testing procedures.
Back on July 23, Israel’s supreme court ruled that Palestinian prisoners enjoy no right to physical distancing protection against coronavirus.
There have been growing calls from regional and international rights groups, including the Europal Forum, to put pressure on the Israeli regime to provide Palestinian prisoners with enough protection against the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 7,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in some 17 Israeli jails, with dozens of them serving multiple life sentences.
Over 350 detainees, including women and minors, are under Israel’s administrative detention.
The administrative detention, which is a form of imprisonment without trial or charge, allows authorities to incarcerate Palestinians for up to six months. The duration could be extended for an infinite number of times.
The detention takes place on orders from a military commander and on the basis of what the Israeli regime describes as ‘secret’ evidence.
Some prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.
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