Palestinian Prisoners’ Day… ‘Israel’ uses coronavirus to impose further restrictions on prisoners

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Today, Palestinians mark the Palestinian Prisoners’ Day amid increasing concerns over the lives of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, especially with the outbreak of coronavirus and the Israeli restrictions on prisoners.
Nearly 5000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails face repression, physical and psychological torture, and deprivation of basic rights.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Day will not see this year any events on the ground, online conferences and events, however, will be organized due to the coronavirus crisis.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Association, the occupation state has arrested nearly one million Palestinians since 1967.
‘Israel’ currently arrests nearly 5000 Palestinians in its jails, including 130 children, 700 patients, 300 patients with chronic diseases, and 10 cancer patients.
51 Palestinians have been in Israeli jails for over 20 years while 541 of Palestinian prisoners have sentences of at least one life imprisonment.
The association stated that 222 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli jails since 1967, 73 of them died under torture, 67 from medical negligence, 75 in direct executions, and 7 during Israeli repression.
Since the start of 2019, five prisoners died due to the Israeli torture and medical negligence policy. The Israeli authorities handed over the body of one of the five martyrs while they continue to withhold the bodies of the other four martyrs.
The occupation state holds six Palestinian PLC members from all Palestinian political parties in its jails. It has also arrested nearly 16,000 women since 1967.
Recent numbers reveal that ‘Israel’ currently holds 41 Palestinian women in its jails, seven of them are wounded.
Palestinian Prisoners and the Coronavirus crisis
The occupation state has exploited the coronavirus crisis to impose further restrictions on Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli authorities prevented all family and lawyers’ visits while the Supreme Court rejected an appeal to release prisoners, who are over 60 years old to protect their lives.
The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) also denied prisoners’ access to cleaning supplies.
The head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Association, Qaddourah Fares, accused the Israeli authorities of not taking any precautionary measures to protect the prisoners from the coronavirus.
He held the occupation state responsible for the lives of Palestinian prisoners and doubted the Israeli claims that there are no cases among the prisoners.
Shortly after Fares’ statement, the association announced that Nuriddin Sarsour, who had his freedom on March 31 and had contacted several prisoners, tested positive for the virus.
The Israeli authorities, shortly thereafter, announced that three jailers had the virus.