Gaza - Saba:
The Palestinian Prisoners' Defense Center expressed grave concern on Sunday evening regarding reports that a number of Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza Strip were injured by shrapnel from anti-aircraft missiles fired by the Israeli air defense system yesterday, during its interception of Iranian missiles near Megiddo Prison in northern occupied Palestine.
The Center said in a statement: "According to sources, the shrapnel penetrated parts of the prison buildings and caused direct injuries to a number of prisoners, some of whom are sick, under harsh and inhumane detention conditions."
The Center stressed that the occupation authorities continue to prevent the transfer of the injured to hospitals and refuse to provide them with medical care, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the most basic rights of prisoners guaranteed by the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.
The Center demanded the immediate disclosure of the conditions and names of the injured, and urgent permission for representatives of the Red Cross and human rights organizations to visit Megiddo Prison and examine the conditions of the prisoners.
It called for an international investigation into the complex crime of deliberate medical negligence and endangering the lives of prisoners.
The Center held the occupation authorities fully responsible for the safety of the prisoners, warning of the continuation of grave violations against them, especially in light of the recent military escalation.
More than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners, including thousands from the Gaza Strip, are languishing in Israeli prisons, suffering the most dangerous detention conditions in decades.