RAMALLAH, Tuesday, January 12, 2021 (WAFA) – As Israel continues to refuse to inoculate the thousands of Palestinian prisoners crowded in its prisons against the deadly coronavirus, a prisoner advocacy group said today that the number of prisoners who have contracted the disease is on the rise with new cases are recorded every day.
The Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Commission said that a new case of coronavirus was detected in Rimon prison in Israel, which prompted the Israel Prisons Service /IPS/ to shut down this detention center in total and move the prisoners to another location.
It said that 191 Palestinian prisoners have so far contracted the disease since its outbreak, most of them in Gilboa prison, and that the number is expected to rise.
It said that the IPS policy of disregard for the health and well-being of the prisoners, as well as the dismal conditions in the prisons, are ground for the spread of the pandemic and other diseases that could lead to the death of prisoners.
The Palestinian Authority and human rights groups have condemned official Israeli decisions not to inoculate the Palestinian prisoners for the time being. Israel has so far inoculated over 2 million of its population against coronavirus, including prison guards.
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