Palestinian prisoners declare a state of emergency in Al-Naqab Prison

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
14 Aug 2023 08:47

In the meantime, prisoner Munther Khalaf is transferred to an unknown destination.

A Palestinian flag is pictured on the fence of "Ofer" prison near the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on July 12, 2021 (AFP)

Today, Monday, the Palestinian Prisoners Information Office confirmed that prisoners in all prisons refuse to go out for security checks, in protest and rejection of the arbitrary transfer policy pursued by the occupation prison administration.

According to the office, Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is making a provocative visit to the Al-Naqab Prison, amid rising tension in the prison.

The state of high alert and tension continues in Al-Naqab prison, in which prisoners continue to protest against oppression and arbitrary searches and transfers.

The Metzada Unit repression forces of the Israeli occupation prison service stormed on Sunday Section 26 of Al-Naqab Prison and transferred Palestinian detainees held in the section to other separate sections.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club issued a statement in which it said, "The Israeli forces of repression conducted extensive inspections inside Section 26, after transferring the total of 60 prisoners in it [to separate sections]."

The Prisoners Club stated that the prisoners were transferred to several sections inside the prison itself, adding the sections were closed for three hours, amid a prevailing state of tension inside the prison.

On Sunday evening, Palestinian prisoners in Al-Naqab Prison declared a state of emergency in all sections of the prison, in protest against the oppression, inspections, and arbitrary transfers that targeted them.

In the same context, the Prisoners Information Office indicated, in a statement, that the step of declaring a state of emergency by the prisoners "comes in light of the maximum tension and alert prevailing since the morning."

It is worth noting that Al-Naqab Prison is considered one of the largest prisons in which Palestinian prisoners are held, as it houses around 1,400 prisoners, and it has recently witnessed extensive inspections that affected several sections.

Last Monday, private sources head revealed to Al Mayadeen, from within the prisons of the Israeli occupation, that the prisoners of the Islamic Jihad movement in Al-Naqab prison were selectively subjected to arbitrary searches and repression by the prison administration as part of an ongoing campaign targeting them.

The arbitrary raids are considered one of the most prominent policies pursued by the occupation prison administration against prisoners, with the aim of striking any state of "stability" within the sections and imposing more control and surveillance on them.

Prisoner Munther Khalaf taken to an unknown destination

Meanwhile, the occupation intelligence took the prisoner, Munther Khalaf, a member of the General Central Committee of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the director of Handala Center for Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners, to an unknown destination without giving any further details.

The Handala Center issued a statement, stressing that the prisoners' voice will remain "present and resounding and will not be intimidated by any measures or targeting," which is an integral part of the "ongoing occupation attack on the Front's leadership and cadres in prisons."

The center called on the official, human rights, and legal institutions concerned with the affairs of prisoners to take urgent action in order to go after the Israeli occupation for its criminal practices against the Palestinian Captive Movement. It also called on the free people of the world to expand the activities in support of the Captive Movement on all international platforms.