“The prison authorities sent the injured to the hospital, but…Israeli soldiers attacked and beat them before they reached the ambulance,” Mussa said

By Maha Abdel Fattah & Mohamed Sadek, IOL Staff

RAMALLAH, January 3 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Israeli occupation soldiers have brutally beaten Palestinian prisoners during clashes that took place Thursday, January 2, at the Ofer prison, before allowing ambulances to help them, a Palestinian Ofer prisoner said Friday, January 3.

The prisoner, who called himself Mussa, said in an exclusive phone interview with IslamOnline, that some of detainees who are diabetes or suffer heart problems fell on the ground when Israeli forces used tear-gas and stun grenades.

“The prison authorities sent the injured to the hospital, but as they crossed the prison’s gates, the Israeli soldiers attacked and beat them before they reached the ambulance,” he said via a cellular smuggled into the prison.

The 800 Ofer prisoners, who are crammed in over-populated tents, set fire to their shelters in a protest against the mistreatment and insults some of their colleagues were subject to in addition to horrible living conditions inside the prison.

Mussa said that a hunger strike will continue in the prison till the authorities agree to their demands, which include an end to insults, beating and harassment of prisoners,  in addition to improving the living conditions in the prison to become more human.

“The military backup called by the prison authorities are still surrounding the prison,” he added.

In phone contact with another Ofer prisoner, reporter Nezar Ramadan, said the prisoners’ uprising is the prelude of other movement expected to hit other Israeli detention camps because of the humiliating conditions suffered by the prisoners.

The Israeli army says it has restored order after a night of clashes at a detention center in the West Bank.

About 40 Palestinian prisoners were receiving treatment for the effects of the tear gas used to quell the protests, BBC News Online quoted Israeli army sources as saying.

A leading Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem, called for the immediate release of Palestinian detainees who were being held even though they were not charged with specific offences.

But the Israeli army issued a statement saying the process of "administrative detention" was an important weapon in the struggle against those involved in “acts of terror and violence” against Israeli citizens.

Figures released this week show that more than 1,000 Palestinians are being held without charge in Israeli detention camps.

According to B'Tselem, this would only be permitted under international law as an emergency measure.

It said normal safeguards are being routinely abused.