Palestinian prisoners suffering from inhuman conditions in Israeli jails

A Palestinian report released Wednesday pointed to cruel and inhuman circumstances Palestinian detainees are facing in Israeli jails.
Hundreds of Palestinians are still being held in Israeli prisons without trials or clear accusations, said the report written by the Palestinian affairs department at the Arab League.
On January 27, seven Palestinians were arrested in different areas of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the report said.
As many as 500 administrative detainees are languishing in Israeli jails, the report said, adding that detention has been renewed against 30 percent of them without any legal ground.
The detention of 62 more prisoners has been extended under the pretext of completing investigations, it noted.
The health condition of sick prisoners is deteriorating due to medical negligence, the report said, seeing in this a way to slowly kill Palestinian prisoners in blatant violation of international laws on prisoners.
It accused the Israeli prison authorities of stalling to secure medication for Palestinian prisoners, pointing also to slow medical care given to the Palestinian prisoners.
Female detainees are being beaten and tortured during their detention period, the report said, adding they also suffer from the very cold weather with air leaking in through window gaps.
The number of female detainees reached 22 on January 28, the report said, noting that four of them are minors.
The report also touched upon conditions of Palestinian children held in Israeli jails.
Rami Barakat, 17, was hit on the head and neck by occupation troops who stormed his house, tied him up and stepped on his body.
Hamza Shloudi, 15, was severely beaten on his back and face as Israeli troops arrested him.
A 17-year-old Hamdi Khashana was also beaten by a gun on his head and ears as troops arrested him.
The report said that families of detained Palestinian children are not allowed to attend interrogations, adding that the detainees are also denied the right to consult lawyers before the probe.
They are also forced to sign statements in Hebrew, the report said.
It also pointed to physical assaults against detained Palestinian children, citing incidents of beating and electric shocks.
The report also shed light on Palestinian tax money held by Israel, stressing that this resulted in a big financial deficit in the Palestinian budget. The Palestinian government is not able to pay salaries of employees, it noted.