Israeli occupation soldiers detain five residents , sentences a sixth

Monday October 13, 2008 16:26 by IMEMC Staff - IMEMC & Agencies

The Israeli occupation soldiers detained on Monday five Palestinian residents from the West Bank city of Hebron, as an Israeli military court sentenced a sixth from the Jenin city.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society of Hebron confirmed today that an Israeli contingent stormed the Dahiriya, Surif and Nuba neighborhoods of Hebron city , detaining five Palestinians.

Among those rounded up were two brothers, who study and stay at the University of Bethlehem.

Also, Israeli occupation soldiers broke early on Monday morning into several Palestinian homes in the said neighborhoods, under the pretext of searching for illicit substances.

In the meantime, the Israeli occupation authorities sentenced on Monday a Palestinian prisoner and remanded imprisonment of two others from Jenin city.

The Jenin-based office of the prisoners society told media outlets that Abdul Jabbar Khalil of was sentenced to 9-month-long imprisonment, and that detention of Walid Jaradat and Raed Hantouli, was extended until October19.

In a related note, the advocate of the prisoners society, who follows up with the prisoners conditions inside the Israeli jails, Mo'amar Sabbah, confirmed that the prisoners suffer lack of proper medical care and that many urgent cases are still pending treatment.

Sabbah appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to intervene to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian prisoners inside the jails.

In the meantime, political leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Talal Abu Dareefa, called on the international community to pressure the Israeli government for an immediate halt of all its actions against Palestinian prisoners.

Currently, the Israeli occupation government holds more than 11.500 Palestinian prisoners including men, women and juveniles inside many detention facilities in Israel and in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli occupation soldiers damage a house, detains two in Bethlehem

Sunday October 12, 2008 11:24 by IMEMC Staff - IMEMC & Agencies

The Israeli occupation soldiers detained early on Sunday two Palestinian residents from the West Bank city of Bethlehem as military bulldozers damaged a house and a garage in the city.

Eyewitnesses reported that an Israeli occupation soldiers surrounded the house of Mahmoud Al-Duwaik from Bethlehem in the early hours of the morning and threw a number of concussion grenades into the house forcing everyone out.

Troops insisted that unknown people are still inside the house and forced the owner of the house to call through a mega phone for those who are allegedly inside the house to come out, sealing off the area completely.

The Israeli occupation soldiers then occupied a neighboring building that belongs to Salhab family and forced all the family in the lower floor and fired a number of concussion grenades and opened fire at the building. 

A military bulldozer then knocked down a parking garage that belongs to Duwaik family and fired a number rockets into the house causing serious damage to the walls and windows, however no casualties were reported.

Troops then deployed heavily in the vicinity of the house, allegedly looking for claimed wanted people but failed to find anyone in the house.

At around 10:30 am, troops pulled out from the area leaving devastating damage in the property, after blocking the traffic for more than 5 hours.

Meanwhile, local sources said that a contingent of the Israeli army swept into the Al-Khader town south of Bethlehem and soldiers ransacked several Palestinian homes, before detaining tow residents, Mamhmoud Ghunaim and Younis Issa, 18.

2000 sick detainees are imprisoned by Israel, facing medical negligence

Saturday October 11, 2008 20:35 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

The Detainees Study Center reported that there are approximately 2000 sick detainees imprisoned by Israel, including 160 who suffer from chronic diseases and the Israeli Prison Administration in ignoring their right to medical treatment. 

The center considered the Israeli policies of depriving the detainees from the needed medical attention as the reason behind the deaths of several detainees. It also said that there are dozens of detainees who are facing life threatening conditions.

Ra’fat Hamdouna, head of the center, demanded the Israeli occupation government to allow medical institutions and specialized physicians to visit the detainees, perform surgeries and provide the sick detainees with the needed medical attention and treatment

Hamdouna added that the detainees have the right to live in dignity and to receive the needed medical treatment.

He also demanded forming a committee to probe the death of dozens of detainees and added that this issue should be considered an international issue and should be supervised by human rights and legal groups.  

The Center appealed local officials and private groups to hold protests in support to the detainees and to expose the illegal Israeli practices against them.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) reported that 195 detainees died in Israeli prisons, among them 72 detainees who died during the Al-Aqsa Intifada which started in late September 2000. Three detainees died due to extreme torture, 17 died due to medical negligence, and 51 were killed after they were detained.