Kamamji in dire condition, isolated: Detainees Affairs Commission

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
11 Jul 2024 19:34
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Detainee Ayham Kamamji, one of the heroes of Operation Freedom Tunnel, is being subjected to deplorable detention conditions in Ashkelon Prison.

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Heroes of Freedom Tunnel; Ayham Kamamji

The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported that Ayham Kamamji is subjected to poor detention conditions in Israeli occupation prisons.

According to the statement, the Israeli occupation's Ashkelon Prison administration has had Kamamji in isolation since May 15, after he was transferred from Ramon Prison, where he was held for an additional three months.

Kamamji, one of the heroes of the Freedom Tunnel operation, told the Commission's lawyer that the conditions of isolation in the Ramon and Ashkelon prisons are terrible, as the detainee is subjected to constant cell searches in the isolation section of the prison, alongside the seizure of his clothes and personal blankets.

Moreover, Kamamji described the quality of food provided to him as "poor" and the quantity as "minimal", noting that he had lost 25kg of his weight.

On his part, the head of the Commission of Detainees Affairs, Qaddoura Fares, warned in an interview for Al Mayadeen that "Israel is releasing all evil to take revenge on the detainees," adding that the Israeli occupation continues to isolate the heroes of the Freedom Tunnel, including Kamamji, "in tough conditions."

Meet hero #5, Ayham Kamamji: The IOF spent 6 years in pursuit of Kamamji before he was captured in 2006. What the occupation didn't know then was that he would be among the 6 to break the shackles of Israeli brutality.#OperationFreedomTunnel pic.twitter.com/1vnrmKjfLR
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 7, 2022

Fares also told Al Mayadeen that he fears for the lives of all the detainees "in light of the deteriorating conditions in the Israeli occupation detention centers and the absence of any real international pressure."

The Commission noted that the Prison Service Administration does not take into account the health condition of Kamamji, who suffers from several health issues, in addition to pain in his feet when he stands and walks.

It also emphasized that he has been suffering from fever, as well as from neuropathic and bone pain in his feet for about a month. The prison clinic did not provide him with any treatment and told him that he had to wait for his turn to have his feet scanned.

It is noteworthy that this is the first time in six months that lawyers have visited Kamamji, according to a statement issued by the Commission.

Kamamji now enters his 19th year of detention in Israeli occupation prisons as he was first detained on July 4, 2006, from Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, accusing him of taking part in acts of resistance against the occupation forces.

Detainee Yaqoub Qadri in isolation in Israeli prisons since 32 months

Earlier, in April of this year, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs stressed that the Israeli occupation's prison administration continues its crimes against Palestinian detainee Yaqoub Qadri from the town of Beer al-Basha in Jenin governorate by keeping him in solitary confinement for the 32nd consecutive month.

In a statement, the Commission indicated that "Israel's" policy of revenge against Qadri, who has been detained since 2003 and sentenced to life imprisonment, began from the moment of his re-arrest after he and five of his companions managed to liberate themselves from the Gilboa Prison on September 6, 2021.

It emphasized that the escalation against Qadri began after the Israeli occupation launched its retaliatory policy against all detainees on October 7, 2023.

According to the statement, Qadri had been transferred several times between the Ohalei Keidar, Ashkelon, and Rimonim prisons. Throughout this period, the Israeli guards deliberately insulted him, cursed him, threatened him with death, and told him he would be leaving prison in a "black body bag."

The Commission noted that the extension of Qadri's isolation is based on a military court decision, with the last session held on April 7, 2023, resulting in a decision to extend his solitary confinement for an additional six months.

Due to medical neglect by the Israeli prison administration, Qadri suffers from several health issues, including thyroid gland problems, high blood pressure, and cholesterol, as well as sight and dental problems, continuous headaches, hand and abdominal pains, and constant fatigue.

The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs' lawyer was only allowed a 15-minute visit to see the Palestinian detainee but was given some additional time after a long dispute with the Israeli prison administration.

Touching on his solitary confinement in Rimonim prison, Qadri told the Commission's lawyer that the conditions are as difficult and complicated as in other prisons.

He mentioned that cells are searched day and night, hot water is available for only ten minutes, and electricity is provided from six pm until early dawn.

He added that prisoners are deprived of clothes and blankets and are allowed only one hour of yard time. In addition, the food's quality and quantity are poor and drinking water is filled from the bathroom tap.

It is noteworthy that the Israeli occupation forces first detained Qadri on October 18, 2003, and sentenced him to life imprisonment plus 35 years.

On September 6, 2021, Qadri, along with Zakaria al-Zoubaidi, Mahmoud al-Aridah, Mohammad al-Aridah, Ayham Kamamji, and Munadel Nafi’at, successfully broke out of the fortified Israeli "Gilboa" Prison under a well-planned operation dubbed Freedom Tunnel.

However, the Israeli forces re-arrested them after a 13-day chase and search.