Latest news with #IsraeliPrisonService
Middle East Eye
20-04-2025
- Middle East Eye
Palestinian prisoner dies after being transferred to hospital from Israeli jail
The Israeli Prison Service has announced the death of a 49-year-old Palestinian prisoner from the occupied West Bank, who had been transferred to hospital from Ofer Prison. No details have yet been released about the identity of the prisoner. It comes three days after the Palestinian Prisoners' Club announced the death of Musab Hassan Omar Adili, 20, in an Israeli prison. He was from the town of Hawara, in Nablus in the occupied West Bank. At least 65 prisoners have died in Israeli prisons since the start of the war on Gaza in October 2023.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hamas hands over bodies of 4 hostages to Israel as dozens of Palestinians leave prison
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Hamas handed over the bodies of four hostages to the Red Cross early Thursday in exchange for Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was to end. An Israeli security official confirmed that Hamas handed the hostages' bodies to the Red Cross. Israel said the caskets were delivered with the help of Egyptian mediators through an Israeli crossing and an identification process had begun. At around the same time, a Red Cross convoy carrying several dozen released Palestinian prisoners left Israel's Ofer prison headed for the West Bank town of Beitunia, where hundreds of well-wishers jostled for a glimpse of the bus as it arrived. Friends and family greeted the released prisoners, hugging them and snapping photos. One released man made a victory sign as he was carried on the shoulders of supporters, with the crowd chanting 'God is Great.' The released prisoners wore Israeli Prison Service T-shirts that some of them took off and set on fire. Hours later, buses carrying hundreds of other Palestinian prisoners arrived in the Gaza city of Khan Younis, with some men kissing the ground as they emerged from the buses. Israel had delayed the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it called the cruel treatment of hostages during their handover by Hamas. The militant group has called the delay a 'serious violation' of the ceasefire and said talks on a second phase aren't possible until the Palestinians are freed. Earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the latest release of hostages' bodies would be carried out without ceremony, as opposed to past Hamas releases with stage-managed events in front of crowds. Israel, along with the Red Cross and U.N. officials, have called the ceremonies humiliating for the hostages. Among those scheduled to leave Israel early Thursday were hundreds of detainees arrested from Gaza, held on suspicion of militancy after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, without charge for months. They include 445 men, 21 teenagers and one woman, according to lists shared by Palestinian officials that did not specify their ages. Only around 50 Palestinians were released into the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem in this round. Dozens sentenced to life over deadly attacks against Israelis will be exiled out of the Palestinian territories and taken to Egypt at least temporarily until other countries accept them. The latest handovers would complete both sides' obligations under the ceasefire's first phase, during which Hamas returned 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The family of a hostage in Gaza said they were notified he is dead and his body was among those to be returned to Israel. The family did not say who informed them. Notifications typically come from Israel's military. Tsachi Idan was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. His eldest daughter, Maayan, was killed as militants shot through the door of the family's safe room. Hamas militants broadcast themselves on Facebook holding the family hostage in their home as two younger children pleaded to let them go. French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X about Israeli-French hostage Ohad Yahalomi, whose body was also expected to be released: 'In these suspended hours of pain and anguish, the nation stands by their side.' The ceasefire's six-week first phase expires this weekend. U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said he wants the sides to move into negotiations on the second phase, during which all remaining hostages held by Hamas would be released and an end to the war would be negotiated. Talks on the second phase were supposed to begin the first week of February.
Politico
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Hamas hands over bodies of 4 hostages to Israel as dozens of Palestinians leave prison
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Hamas handed over the bodies of four hostages to the Red Cross early Thursday in exchange for Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was to end. An Israeli security official confirmed that Hamas handed the hostages' bodies to the Red Cross. Israel said the caskets were delivered with the help of Egyptian mediators through an Israeli crossing and an identification process had begun. At around the same time, a Red Cross convoy carrying several dozen released Palestinian prisoners left Israel's Ofer prison headed for the West Bank town of Beitunia, where hundreds of well-wishers jostled for a glimpse of the bus as it arrived. Friends and family greeted the released prisoners, hugging them and snapping photos. One released man made a victory sign as he was carried on the shoulders of supporters, with the crowd chanting 'God is Great.' The released prisoners wore Israeli Prison Service T-shirts that some of them took off and set on fire. Hours later, buses carrying hundreds of other Palestinian prisoners arrived in the Gaza city of Khan Younis, with some men kissing the ground as they emerged from the buses. Israel had delayed the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it called the cruel treatment of hostages during their handover by Hamas. The militant group has called the delay a 'serious violation' of the ceasefire and said talks on a second phase aren't possible until the Palestinians are freed. Earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the latest release of hostages' bodies would be carried out without ceremony, as opposed to past Hamas releases with stage-managed events in front of crowds. Israel, along with the Red Cross and U.N. officials, have called the ceremonies humiliating for the hostages. Among those scheduled to leave Israel early Thursday were hundreds of detainees arrested from Gaza, held on suspicion of militancy after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, without charge for months. They include 445 men, 21 teenagers and one woman, according to lists shared by Palestinian officials that did not specify their ages. Only around 50 Palestinians were released into the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem in this round. Dozens sentenced to life over deadly attacks against Israelis will be exiled out of the Palestinian territories and taken to Egypt at least temporarily until other countries accept them. The latest handovers would complete both sides' obligations under the ceasefire's first phase, during which Hamas returned 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The family of a hostage in Gaza said they were notified he is dead and his body was among those to be returned to Israel. The family did not say who informed them. Notifications typically come from Israel's military. Tsachi Idan was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. His eldest daughter, Maayan, was killed as militants shot through the door of the family's safe room. Hamas militants broadcast themselves on Facebook holding the family hostage in their home as two younger children pleaded to let them go. French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X about Israeli-French hostage Ohad Yahalomi, whose body was also expected to be released: 'In these suspended hours of pain and anguish, the nation stands by their side.' The ceasefire's six-week first phase expires this weekend. U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said he wants the sides to move into negotiations on the second phase, during which all remaining hostages held by Hamas would be released and an end to the war would be negotiated. Talks on the second phase were supposed to begin the first week of February.
Al-Ahram Weekly
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Israeli forces raid Ofer prison, assault Palestinian detainees amid deteriorating conditions - War on Gaza
Israeli forces attacked Palestinian prisoners in Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank after storming their cells, with the Israeli Prison Service saying special forces used "necessary measures" against detainees for allegedly "disrupting order." The prison service said in a statement that "security detainees" had been banging on their cell doors and noted that the incident was still ongoing. Ofer Prison serves as the main release point for Palestinian detainees freed under the captives-ceasefire deal. As one of the Israeli army's primary detention facilities, it is the only prison located within the occupied West Bank. The facility has been the site of multiple prisoner abuse cases during the ongoing war. Palestinian institutions monitoring prisoners' affairs have previously reported severe abuses against Palestinian detainees held in Ofer, west of Ramallah. Palestinian prisoners released under the Gaza ceasefire agreement have described worsening conditions in overcrowded Israeli detention centres, where thousands have been held since Israel's war on Gaza began on October 7. According to a January 2025 report by the Palestinian Authority's Prisoners and Freed Prisoners' Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, Israel holds over 10,400 Palestinians in its jails. These figures do not include prisoners from Gaza, as Israel has refused to release their details. However, on December 31, 2024, Israel's Shin Bet security service reported that around 2,500 Palestinians had been arrested in Gaza that year alone, with 650 undergoing interrogation. In the occupied West Bank, the agency said it had arrested 3,682 Palestinians. Israel has frequently carried out arbitrary detentions, often targeting individuals without clear evidence or legal justification. Former detainees reported repeated beatings, extreme overcrowding, and the withholding of basic food rations. The United Nations reported that between October and December 2024, Israel arrested over 4,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, marking a sharp increase in arbitrary detentions. Israeli officials have acknowledged intensifying prison conditions for Palestinians, with far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir previously boasting that Israeli prisons would not be "summer camps" under his watch. Short link:
Al Bawaba
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Israeli forces storm Ofer Prison, assault Palestinian detainees
Published February 16th, 2025 - 05:46 GMT ALBAWABA - Israeli forces raided Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah, on Sunday, attacking Palestinian detainees in their cells, according to sources reported by Al Jazeera. The Israeli Prison Service justified the raid by claiming detainees had "disrupted order by banging on doors." Also Read Trump sanctions ICC over probes targeting U.S. and Israel The Palestinian Prisoners' Information Office, affiliated with Hamas, reported that Israeli suppression units violently stormed one of the prison sections, assaulting detainees with physical violence and tear gas. The office described these actions as "deeply concerning" and a continuation of systematic abuse inside Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, the Israeli Prison Service stated that its forces used "necessary measures" against detainees and that the operation was still ongoing. Al Jazeera's correspondent Najwan Samri warned that the raid could escalate tensions, particularly as negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement continue. She highlighted ongoing abuses against Palestinian detainees, emphasizing that former Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led multiple crackdowns inside prisons, especially after October 7, 2023. Additionally, Israeli authorities recently established a new detention wing specifically designed for elite Hamas prisoners, according to Al Jazeera. 🔴 حركة #حماس:📍 اقتحام وحدات القمع زنازين الأسرى الفلسطينيين في سجن "عوفر" غرب رام الله مساء اليوم، والاعتداء الوحشي عليهم، هو سلوك إجرامي همجي يعكس الطبيعة الفاشية والإرهابية للكيان المحتل. 📍 هذه الاعتداءات تأتي استكمالًا لمسلسل الوحشية والسادية بحق أسرانا، ومحاولة بائسة… — تيسير البلبيسي (@Taysirbalbisi) February 16, 2025 On Saturday, recently released Palestinian prisoners burned white uniforms they had been forced to wear by Israeli prison authorities before their release. The uniforms, marked with the Star of David and the Israeli Prison Service emblem, had the phrase "We do not forget, we do not forgive" printed on both sides. Ofer Prison has become a key location during the prisoner exchange agreement, with most released Palestinian detainees passing through it. Many have testified to Al Jazeera about experiencing psychological and physical torture inside the facility. Human rights organizations have long reported severe mistreatment of Palestinian detainees in Ofer Prison, including physical abuse, psychological torture, starvation, and medical neglect, affecting prisoners regardless of age or health conditions. Established during the British Mandate, Ofer Prison was converted into a military detention center by Israeli forces in 2002 during Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank. It remained under military administration until 2005, when the Israeli Prison Service took over and replaced the original tent structures with permanent buildings. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
