More than 200 Palestinians have lost their lives in Israeli prisons since 1967 as a result of torture, lack of medical care and gunshot wounds, Palestinian human rights organizations announced on Thursday.
In a joint statement, Palestinian Prisoners' Association, Prisoners of Conscience and Human Rights Protection Organization said 213 Palestinians have lost their lives in the Israeli prisons since 1967, according to Anadolu Agency (AA). Among them seven were shot, 72 others were tortured to death and 59 lost their lives due to lack of medical care. The statement highlighted the fact that Palestinians in Israeli prisoners were being subjected to "inhumane" treatments, including physical and psychological torture. Some 60 percent of the prisoners have suffered "brutal physical assaults."
The statement also urged the U.N. Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, to launch a special committee to probe Palestinian deaths in Israeli prisons.
According to Palestinian statistics, some 6,400 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli prisons, including roughly 500 in administrative detention.
The latest symbol of the long-running battle between Palestinians and Israelis, Ahed Tamimi has gained international support right after she was arrested on Dec. 19, four days after she was filmed confronting soldiers outside her West Bank home. Tamimi faces 12 charges, including assault and incitement, in the Ofer Military Court in the West Bank. Her trial, which will likely take months, has sparked immense public interest and international condemnations of the minor's imprisonment.
Tamimi has been hailed as a hero by Palestinians who see her as bravely standing up to Israel's occupation of the West Bank. On social media, Palestinians celebrated her as a hero in widely distributed cartoons. In one, she is shown in a Joan of Arc-like pose, raising a Palestinian flag, framed by her easily recognizable mane of dirty blonde curls.
Tamimi's detention highlighted the issue of arrests of Palestinian minors. Defense for Children International-Palestine, a local group, said 331 Palestinians under the age of 18 were held in military detention as of May, according to the most recent statistics released by Israeli authorities, as reported by the Associated Press (AP). It said that in 2016, an average of 375 minors were in detention each month. The Israeli military was unable to provide data on the number of minors it is holding. According to Palestinian figures, over 6,400 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, including 300 children.
