Israel allows Gazan prisoners to receive family visits

Israeli authorities on Monday allowed Gazans to visit relatives detained in Israel's Rimon Prison in southern Israel.
"As many as 66 Gazans on Monday visited relatives in Rimon Prison through the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel," Spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross Suheir Zaqout said.
Israeli authorities forbade prison visits from Gaza following the kidnap and murder of three West Bank Jewish settlers in June last year.
Previously, the Israeli Prison Service had allowed inmates to receive family visits on weekly bases.
Visitation rights are often withdrawn whenever Israel wants to take punitive measures against Palestinian faction Hamas in Gaza, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, or the Palestinian people in general.
Over 6500 Palestinians are currently languishing in prisons throughout Israel, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs.