Riot breaks out at Israel’s notorious Ofer military prison: Report
A riot is under way at Israel’s Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, the Jerusalem Post reports.
According to an Israel Prison Service statement, the incident is currently ongoing and officers had to use force to enter prisoners’ cells.
Under the Gaza ceasefire deal, Ofer Prison has been releasing hundreds of Palestinian inmates who have described harsh conditions and physical and mental abuse.
Munthir Amira, an occupied West Bank political activist who was held there, said guards regularly beat detainees for punishment or often for no reason at all.
He said he and 12 others shared a cell with only six beds and a few thin blankets, freezing during the winter months. They were let outside for only 15 minutes twice a week. Amira was held in administrative detention, apparently over his Facebook posts critical of Israel.
Israeli forces assault Palestinian detainees after prison unrest
Special Israeli prison units raided a section of Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and assaulted detainees. “Prisoners were beaten and sprayed with gas,” the Prisoners Media Office said in a statement. No details were available about casualties.
According to Palestinian human rights organisations, Israel is holding more than 10,000 Palestinians in its prisons.
The Palestinian Commission for Prisoners’ and Ex-Prisoners’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said they hold the Israel Prison Service accountable “for the lives and fate of thousands of prisoners in Ofer Prison”.
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