The Prison Authority of the Ohali Kidar, one of Israel’s infamous prisons, has been blackmailing the hunger-striking Palestinian detainees who have are ill or have fallen sick, informing them that they must end their strike before receiving any sort of treatment.
Similar to other detention facilities and prisons where Palestinian detainees are held, the prison clinic at its best is not more than a room with a few beds and some painkilling pills, yet, even that is now being used to blackmail the detainees into ending their strike.
Detainee Haroun Ayyad, who has been striking for the past 23 consecutive days, said that since the hunger strike started on April 17th, even prison “doctors” in Ohali Kidar detention facility, have been bringing various types of food and placing them in front of the detainees, and then “negotiate” with them, telling the hunger strikers that they must eat first to get medical treatment.
The Media Committee of the “Freedom and Dignity Hunger Strike”, formed by the Detainees’ Committee and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS), has reported that Israeli prison doctors have turned the clinic in Ohali Kidar prison, into a “showcase” where food is displayed in front of the hunger striking detainees in an attempt to have them end their strike.
Lawyer Khaled Mahajna, who managed to visit Ayyad after several appeals with the Central Court in Beersheba (Be’er as-Sabe’), said that the detainees are held in very small, dirty cells, that lack proper ventilation, and that they have to sleep on the ground.
The detainees are also not allowed out of their cells, not even for one hour a day, and every detainee is only given two blankets, a small mattress, small toothpaste and a toothbrush that seems to have been used or at least not fit for human use.
Fines have also been imposed on many detainees, some amounting to 300 Israeli Shekels, in addition to being denied any visits.
Ayyad told Mahajna that the soldiers break into the detainees’ cells and search them at least three times a day, and force them out of their rooms during the searches, an issue that is impacting the already fatigued hunger striking prisoners.
He added that many detainees encounter very sharp pain if they try to walk or move, even when they have to use the toilets, and yet, are forced out of their rooms every time the soldiers break into them and search them.
It is worth mentioning that after the lawyer filed appeals with the Central Court, they were all rejected, except for the last appeal when he was only allowed to visit Ayyad after lengthy negotiations, but was not allowed to see or talk with any other detainee.
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