In Support of Gilboa Prisoners, Spoons Were Thrown at the Israeli Embassy in Washington

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A number of demonstrators threw dozens of spoons in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, conveying a message of solidarity with the Gilboa prisoners.

Social media activists circulated a picture of the demonstration, which shows hundreds of spoons lying at the entrance of the embassy, in a symbolic reference to the Gilboa prison operation in which the six prisoners dug a tunnel from under the prison using a spoon to snatch away their freedom from their jailers. 

#صورة.. متظاهرون يلقون الملاعق أمام سفارة الاحتلال في واشنطن تضامناً مع الأسرى الفلسطينيين ودعماً لعملية #نفق_الحرية. pic.twitter.com/zyj2NfbS1j

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) September 13, 2021

This step comes to mock the Israeli enemy, after the six prisoners managed to escape from prison, despite the severe security fortifications of Israeli prisons.

It is noteworthy that the Israeli occupation had announced re-arresting 4 of the 6 prisoners, Yaqoub Qadri, Mahmoud al-Arida, Zakaria Zubeidi, and Mohammad al-Arida.

After the six prisoners liberated themselves, there had been several reports pointing to the Israeli mistreatment and injustice toward Palestinian prisoners kept captive in Israeli prisons and detention facilities. Many of the reports were made by distinguished Palestinian organizations who advocate for these issues, such as the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office, and the Commission of Detainees' Affairs in Palestine.

For example, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs in Palestine called on humanitarian organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to work on revealing the details of over 400 Palestinian detainees that were transferred from Gilboa Prison to undisclosed locations.

In addition to arbitrary and undisclosed transfers, the Israeli occupation had been reported that it is denying Palestinian prisoners some of their most basic rights, such as food. After the prisoners took the matter of their freedom into their own hands, the Israeli occupation denied its prisoners in multiple detention facilities from their daily food rations.

Multiple prisoners have been seen bruised and scarred; many have been transferred to hospitals to receive treatment.

Israeli media reported that prisoner Zakaria al-Zubaidi, one of those who were arrested after breaking out, was transferred to Rambam Hospital for treatment.

The defense lawyer for the arrested prisoners said in an interview for Al Mayadeen that "The transfer of the prisoner al-Zubaidi for treatment came after he was severely beaten, which led to a fracture under his left eye."

Number of Palestinian Detainees in Israeli Prisons

According to Palestinian NGOs, the Israeli occupation has arrested over 5,500 Palestinians, including women and children, since the start of 2021. The arrests spiked in May, during the battle of Seif Al-Quds, with the IOF detaining over 3,100 Palestinians.

Currently, the Israeli occupation has 4,650 Palestinian political prisoners, 520 of which are administrative detainees, meaning they are held without charge or trial. The Israeli occupation also has 200 child prisoners detained, with around 12,000 imprisoned over the past 21 years.