Hunger striking prisoners in Mejiddo prison beaten

Palestinian prisoners reported that fellow prisoners in Mejiddo prison have been beaten violently by Israeli occupation prison guards in retaliation for their hunger strike, including Hassan Fatafteh, Thabet Nassar, and Fadah Zogheibi of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. This was reported by the Palestinian Prisoners Committee. This is another example of the ongoing repression against hunger striking prisoners, who have been placed in isolation and solitary confinment and repeatedly transferred.

This report comes just 2 days after another prisoner, Palestinian detainee Mohammed Ermaila survived an assassination attempt at the hands of Israeli prison guards in Megiddo jail, the Palestinian prisoner’s association said.

It said that Ermaila, 40, was suffering from severe pain in the head and blurred vision in addition to dizziness and fainting after the assault on him inside his cell in Megiddo before transferring him to Ofer jail.

A lawyer for the association met Ermaila, who hails from Jenin, in his Ofer jail and quoted him as saying that the Israeli guards woke him up and beat him on his head and tried to suffocate him and only left him when he lost consciousness as they believed he was dead.

He said that Ermaila was carried to a hospital in Afula where he remained unconscious for 48 hours. He was returned to jail as soon as he regained consciousness. A CT scan of his head showed that his skull was broken in the assault. Ermaila has been in administrative custody since October last year.