IOF Shoot Dead Father of Three in West Bank

IOF Shoot Dead Father of Three in Northern West Bank

7,000 Palestinian Detainees in Israeli Jails: ICRC

Israeli occupation soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man, a father of three children, and critically wounded his wife in Burqin village, near the northern West Bank town of Jenin, on Wednesday during a raid to arrest his brother, a local Fatah activist, Palestinian security sources and witnesses said.

Palestinian security sources said Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) burst into a Palestinian home and arrested Fadi Shalamish, a 22-year-old activist.

The sources said that moments later IOF soldiers fired at the neighboring home of the activist’s 27-year-old brother, Iyad, who they said was shot and killed while looking out a window.

They added that the man’s wife was shot in the head and seriously wounded.

7,000 Palestinian Detainees in Israeli jails: ICRC

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said this week that the number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails is about 7,000, the AP reported.

Radi Jarrai, deputy minister for prisoner affairs in the Palestine National Authority (PNA), said 6,500 prisoners were being held by Israel.

According to the ICRC and the Palestinians, at least 1,000 of the Palestinian prisoners are administrative detainees who are being held without trial. Israel acknowledges there are administrative detainees but has not provided a number.

The Palestinian Ministry of Detainees’ Affairs revealed Monday that there are 286 Palestinian children and 76 women in IOF prisons.

Israeli security sources admitted that since Israel reoccupied most of the West Bank in March 2002, a total of 2,531 Palestinians have been interrogated by the Shin Bet security service, and the vast majority remains under detention.

Palestinian detainees have begun on Monday a hunger strike to protest their detention by IOF.

Detention of thousands of Palestinians, the vast majority arrested during the 33 months of fighting, is threatening the week-old cease-fire.

After meeting Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid in occupied east Jerusalem Monday, the Palestinian minister of detainees’ affairs, Hisham Abdel Raziq, warned, “If the decision (on prisoners) won't be changed it will affect the peace process for the worse.”

The Palestinian minister warned his Israeli counterpart the peace process would be damaged if all detainees were not freed.

"The release of long-term prisoners from Hamas and Islamic (Jihad) will help our government and strengthen it,” said Abdel Razeq.

Israeli government’s criteria announced Sunday excluded members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) from any planned release of detainees.

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