Palestinians in Israeli prisons around 5100

The number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons stands around 5,100, according to a recent report by the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs. The number of Palestinians in Israeli prisons is continuously rising, reaching 5,100 prisoners by end of April, said Head of the statistics department Abdulnasser Farawneh on Sunday. He added that 84.5 percent of prisoners are from the West Bank, while the rest are from Jerusalem, Gaza, and territories occupied in 1948, held in 17 prisons. The report showed that 477 prisoners received one or multiple life sentences, 439 received a sentence of over 20 years, and 1,047 were landed with sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years. Among the detainees are 18 women, 207 children, 192 administrative detainees, 11 MPs, and a senior local official, the report said. Palestine is still awaiting the release of the fourth batch of 30 Pre-Oslo prisoners, with the oldest prisoner Karim Yunis among them, in prison now for over 31 years. Releasing the fourth batch is a must if the Palestinian-Israeli talks are to continue, said the ministry, calling on the US which is the sponsor of the talks and the international community to pressure Israel into releasing the prisoners as agreed. The ministry also warned of the worsening health conditions of 1,400 prisoners with 17 of them suffering serious illness, while others are disabled and some even need to undergo surgery. About 80 detainees are suffering from chronic diseases, 25 have cancer, and dozens are mentally and physically disabled due to medical negligence in Israeli prisons, the report added