Israeli soldiers escort blindfolded Palestinian women to the Kissufim Israeli army base,after they were detained during a military operation in the Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008.(AP Photo/Yehuda Lahiani)
International Women’s Day: Palestinian Female Prisoners and the Struggle for a Free Palestine
The Palestinian society is exposed daily to Israeli occupation repressive measures, including the kidnapping and detention of more than 800,000 Palestinians since 1967, including over 15,000 women.
Palestinian women have always been part of the national struggle to liberate Palestine; they are the freedom fighters, the martyrs, the prisoners, the injured, the mothers, the sisters, the daughters and the comrades. They are the revolutionaries, the guardians of the land, the protectors of the revolution, the custodians of the sacred heritage.
They stand in the face of oppression, occupation and injustice. They hold the gun, the sling, the hammer and the sickle, the pen and the brush, and fight, plant, write, sing and dance for Palestine. They are the symbol of resilience, steadfastness and patience, the symbol of resistance, dignity and heroism.
They are the women of Al-Quds Jerusalem; standing up to Zionist colonialism, fighting for their birthright…. They are the women of Beit Sira, Al-Jalameh, Beita and Husan; steadfast in their land, resisting the Zionist occupation and the colonization….. They are the women of Ramle, Yaffa and Um Il-Fahim; refusing to be a “minority” in their ancestral homeland, refusing to be replaced by strangers to the land…. They are the women of Susya, Al-Araqeeb, Wad Fuqin and Al-Jahhalen; protecting the land, defeating ethnic cleansing…. They are the women of Dheisheh, Askar, Al-Maghazi, Ein Il-Hilweh, Yarmouk; holding on to the keys of return, planting the homeland in the minds and hearts of the generations to come, until liberation…. They are the women of Gaza; rising again and again, refusing to surrender, giving the world stories of heroism and steadfastness…. They are the women of Palestine; safeguarding the olive tree and the poppy, keeping Palestine alive in our heart, paving the road towards Palestine, all of Palestine, from the River to the Sea.
The Palestinian society is exposed daily to Israeli occupation repressive measures, including the kidnapping and detention of more than 800,000 Palestinians since 1967, including over 15,000 women. During the First Intifada at least 3000 women were detained and during Al-Aqsa Intifada more than 900 women were locked up behind Israeli bars. There are daily raids and detentions. Sometimes the detained are released after a few days, after a few weeks or remain in detention indefinitely.
In average, 5-8 Palestinian women and girls are detained monthly by Israeli occupation forces. These kidnapping and detention take place in violation of international laws and conventions, whereby the treatment of Palestinian female prisoners during arrest, interrogation and detention is a clear breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, in particular Articles relating to the protection of civilian prisoners at the time of war, particularly Article 32, Article 76, Article 49 and Article 27.
The Zionist entity kidnaps and detains Palestinian women continuously for various reasons and periods. Often, Palestinian female prisoners are accused of being involved in or supporting Palestinian resistance or as a means to pressure their wanted relatives to hand themselves in or relatives in prisons in order to obtain confessions from them. Additionally, the Israeli occupation prison authority uses psychological and physical torture as a means to extract confessions and information from the Palestinian prisoners, including women.
Various reports revealed that Israel used and uses repressive and brutal methods against Palestinian female prisoners that outweigh the cruelty of those practiced against men, in order to break down the psychological control and weaken their spirit, in order to extract confessions. For example, interrogators deprive Palestinian female prisoners of sleep for long periods during interrogation, which may last from 20 to 120 days. They are tied to plastic or wooden seats in interrogation cells as a means to achieve physical pressure to extract confessions.
Additionally, Palestinian female prisoners are subjected to various forms of psychological torture; including verbal harassment, insulting religious and national beliefs of the prisoners, uttering obscenities in front of them during the investigation, threats of sexual assault and rape to force Palestinian women to surrender and submit confessions.
According to latest statistics, there are currently 6500 Palestinian political prisoners held captive in Israeli jails, including women, children and elderly. They are kidnapped either from their homes, at checkpoints, or during night raids. Alone in February 2015, over 210 raids were conducted into villages and cities, in which 310 Palestinians were detained, including 21 women and 52 children. Among these, 90 Palestinians detainees come from Hebron and, 75 from Jerusalem and 19 from the Gaza Strip, including 3 businessmen detained at the “Erez” checkpoint on their way to the West Bank to conduct business, and one 55-year old on his way back to Gaza after accompanying a sick relative. Also, 89 administration detention orders were issued in February; 13 for the first time and the rest were renewals, raising the number of administrative detention orders to 198 since the beginning of 2015. The 21 women detained in February 2015 were mostly arrested at the entrance to Al-Aqsa, were interrogated with in detention centers and later released. It is worth mentioning that during this time, the Zionist entity re-arrested 8 prisoners freed in the prisoner swap deal between Hamas and the Zionist entity. February 2015 also witnessed an escalation in Israeli violations of Palestinian prisoners’ basic rights, including an escalation in harassment, incursions and raids. Also, Palestinian prisoners who are not sentenced yet are only allowed a 30-minute visit instead of the 45-minute visit allowed to sentenced prisoners.
There are currently 21 Palestinian female prisoners held captive in Israeli jails in inhuman conditions: 2 of from Jerusalem, 1 from Palestinian areas occupied in 1948, 18 from the West Bank (Ramallah: 5, Hebron: 4, Jenin: 3, Nablus: 3, Tulkarim: 2, Bethlehem: 1). 2 of the prisoners are minors under the age of 18, 3 mothers, 7 former prisoners, 4 of whom were freed in the prisoner swap deal between Hamas and the Zionist entity in 2011, 10 were sentenced, 11 waiting for sentence, with Lina Jarbouni being currently the longest serving Palestinian female prisoners. Palestinian female prisoners are distributed on 3 Israeli prisons:
1. HaSharon jail (Tel Mond): 19 Palestinian female prisoners/detainees.
2. Neve Tirza prison (Ramleh): 1 Palestinian female detainee.
3. Jalameh detention centre: 1 Palestinian female detainee.
They suffer growing repression and denial of their basic rights; they live in difficult condition and are subjected to continuous and organized repressive measures, in addition to being detained in front of their children, beaten and subjected to torture in interrogation cells. Palestinians female prisoners suffer daily violations of their rights by the Israeli prison authority, such as room incursions and night raids, destruction of property, inspections, naked searches to degrade them, solitary confinement, medical negligence, preventing prisoners from continuing their education, poor food quality and quantity, in addition to the brutal way of arrests, and methods of physical and psychological investigation, assault on them whenever there is tension. For example, Lina Khattab was insulted and beaten during her arrest by Israeli occupation soldiers, whereas one of the soldiers beat her and tore her clothes and insulted her. Palestinian prisoners are held captive under harsh conditions and in narrow cells which lack privacy, are dirty, cold, damp, over-crowded and lack adequate ventilation and hot water and have dirty mattresses and are infested with insects. There is severe shortage of blankets, covers, winter clothes and heaters, and Palestinian female prisoners are not allowed to receive such items from their families, forcing the prisoners to buy them from the prison canteen for very high prices. Palestinians female prisoners suffer from severe cold, especially that the windows are closed with a piece of plastic which allows cold wind to leak. This is combined with a shortage in food and prisoner’s needs in the prison canteen (shop). When Palestinians prisoners are transported to court, they are held for long periods in the “bosta”, which is an iron truck that is used to transport prisoners between prisons and courts. It is very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. It’s “journey” usually lasts 12 hours, whereby prisoners leave their cells at 3 am and return to them at 12 midnight, causing them great physical and psychological pain. They travel long distances in a cold wagon, while hand and leg cuffed and treated harshly for the duration of the journey. Often, Palestinian prisoners are forced to take this “journey” without a trial being held. At the court, they are held in a very cold room for hours before the session, and afterwards. In January 2015, Yasmin Sha’ban complained to the Israeli prison authority about the harsh transportation conditions, to which she received no reply:
1. Shackling hands so tight as to cause injury. Requests to the guards to loosen her shackles were ignored.
2. Requests for adjusting the heating/cooling system were met with aggressive behavior by the guards (shouting).
3. On one occasion she was severely pushed by a guard for no reason.
4. Cooling the wagon instead of heating.
5. Loud music, singing, laughter and other noise at distressingly high volume.
Additionally, they are often prevented from family visits without reason or justifications, their cells are continuously subjected to raids by male occupation soldiers in violation of their privacy, whereby the prisoners often demand these be replaced by female soldiers. They are also punished through high fines imposed on them in addition to actual sentences. Palestinian female prisoners also complain from lack of media and legal interest in their situation, and demand everyone to expose Israeli violations of their rights. Also, the occupation prison authority constantly threatens to transfer them to the section of Israeli criminals, thus posing a risk to their lives. Cameras were installed in their section to monitor their movements, which is another violation of their privacy. In addition, their cells are close to those of Israeli criminals, who are often loud and play music, especially at night, shouting and screaming obscene insults all the time, which also deprive them of sleep and rest.
Like all Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli dungeons, Palestinian female prisoners in need of medical treatment are denied appropriate and much needed medical care. There is constant delay in providing treatment. Female detainees are only allowed to see a general doctor and no specialists, and often only when their condition deteriorates. In cases when human rights organizations send a doctor to examine a sick detainee, the Israeli prison authority delays given the needed permission by placing obstacles. The detainee has to apply for a “security clearance” so the doctor can enter the prison and this may take more than six months, in which time the health of the detainee might deteriorate. If security clearance is given, the human rights organization has to apply for a permit for the doctor so he/she may see the detainee. In case the doctor is allowed to examine the detainee, he/she is not allowed to issue any medical prescriptions. Currently, at least 6 Palestinian female prisoners are in urgent need of medical treatment
1. Lina Jarbouni: underwent an operation to remove a stone from her gallbladder, but still suffers from acute inflammation of gall bladder and headache, and is only given pain killers.
2. Dunia Wakid: suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.
3. Naheel Abu ‘Aisha: suffers from acute rheumatism.
4. Samahir Zein-Iddin: suffers from Inflammations and conglomerates in the chest.
5. Muna Qa’dan: suffers from high blood pressure and ulcers.
6. Yasmine Sha’ban: suffers from asthma, shortness of breath and thyroid problems.
The Zionist entity imprisons Palestinian mothers, sisters and daughters, tortures them to force their relatives to surrender themselves to the Israeli occupation army or to force their imprisoned relatives into confessing what they didn’t do. During house raids by the IOF, mothers and even grandmothers are beaten and dragged to detention centers. Palestinian mothers in Israeli jails are deprived of seeing family members as punishment. Currently, there are 7 Palestinian female prisoners who are held captive in addition to other family members, and are deprived of communication with them or visit them or receive letters from them, including:
1. Fida’ Salman: deprived of communicating with her 4 imprisoned brothers Ala’, Khader, Sleiman and Ahmad Salman, held captive in Majido.
2. Lina Jarbouni: deprived of communicating with her imprisoned brother Tariq Jarbouni.
3. Dunia Wakid: deprived of communicating with her imprisoned fiancé Mohammad Wakid, sentenced to 29 years in Jalboa, and brother Jamal Kheir-Allah sentenced to 21 years in Nafha.
4. Shireen Issawi: deprived of communicating with imprisoned brothers Samir and Midhat Issawi held captive in Jalboa and Shatta respectively.
5. Bushra Tawil: deprived of communication with her imprisoned father Jamal Tawil, held in administrative detention in Majido.
6. Samahir Zein-Iddin: deprived of communication with her imprisoned husband Nader Zein-Iddin and her brothers Nazeh and Ahmad Zein-Iddin held captive in Majido and brother Abdel-Rahman Zein-Iddin, sentenced to life imprisonment and held in isolation in Nafha.
7. Muna Qa’dan: deprived of communicating with her imprisoned fiancé Ibrahim Ighbariyyeh, who received 3 life sentences and 10 years and held in Jalboa.
Currently, 21 Palestinian female political prisoners are held captive by the Zionist entity:
1. Lina Jarbouni: 40 years old, from Arabet Al-Boutof in Al-Jaleel, held captive in Israeli jails since 18.04.2002.
Lina was born on 11.01.1974 among 9 sisters and 8 brothers. She received her primary and secondary education in the village school, and received her high school degree in 1992. The economic situation of her family prevented her from pursuing university education, so she was forced to work in a sewing workshop. On the early hours of 18.04.2002, more than 30 Israeli army vehicles surrounded her family house, and Israeli occupation soldiers kidnapped her and her brother Sa’id. Bith were taken handcuffed and blindfolded to Jalameh detention centre. She remained 30 days in interrogation cells, and was subjected to various forms of psychological torture such as insults, isolation and sleep deprivation. During this time, her sister Lames was also arrested, to pressure Lina into confessing. Lina was charged with “contacting the enemy”, and sentenced by the District Court in the city of Haifa to 17 years in jail. Despite her suffering in Israeli captivity, she is in high spirits and has a strong character, and was mandated by Palestinian female prisoners to represent them and be their spokeswoman. Lina loves reading and was known in her family as a “book warm”, and because she speaks fluent Hebrew, she has a central role in teaching female prisoners Hebrew. Lina comes from a family known for its sacrifices and contribution to the Palestinian resistance: her grandfather Haj Ali was one of the resistance fighters during the revolution of 1936, as well as through the Nakba of 1948, her father was imprisoned several times by the Zionist entity on political issues, and her uncle Omar was killed in Lebanon fighting Israeli occupation soldiers when they invaded Lebanon in 1982. She is currently held in HaSharon prison and suffers from medical negligence.2. Muna Hussein Qa’dan: 43 years old, from ‘Arabeh in Jenin governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 12.11.2012.
Muna has 4 sisters and 3 brothers. She a is a former prisoner and was detained five times: Her first detention was in 1999, where she was subjected to harsh interrogation and went on a hunger strike for a month before being released. Another time, she went on hunger strike for 16 days to protest her isolation, after which she was released from isolation. She was also detained on 02.08.2007 and released on 20.06.2008, detained again on 31.05.2011 and released on 18.11.2011 in the prisoner swap deal between Hamas and the Zionist entity. Her last detention was on 12.11.2012, when a huge Israeli occupation force raided her parent’s house at midnight, searched the house and destroyed its property before kidnapping her. She is still held captive in HaSharon prison, and is accused of running a charity society in Jenin, which provides support and help to orphans. Muna has not been sentenced yet; she was subjected to over 30 court sessions, and her detention was renewed over 19 times. Israeli military courts deliberately postpone issuing a verdict to increase the psychological and physical pressure caused by the transport of prisoners in the “bosta” to courts and back. In average, she is taken once a month to court in a 12-hour journey as a punishment. During such “journeys”, Palestinian prisoners are not allowed to eat or drink, and are hand and leg shackled. Muna, currently the second longest serving Palestinian female prisoner, suffers from chronic ache in stomach and joints, and doesn’t receive proper treatment. She is deprived of family visits since her detention. During her captivity, Muna lost her mother and was not allowed to say farewell to her. She also got engaged to Palestinian political prisoner Ibrahim Ighbariyyeh, who received 3 life sentences and 10 years. Her brother Tariq is an administrative detainee, but she is not allowed any communication with her fiancé or brother.
3. Naheel Abu ‘Aisha: 36 years old, from Hebron, held captive in Israeli jails since 14.03.2013.
Naheel is a former prisoner and was arrested several times. She is a volunteer with the “Youth against Settlement” group and the Hebron Defence Committee, and she is active in exposing Israeli human rights violations in Hebron, and enhancing Palestinian steadfastness and resistance in the old city. Additionally, she works as janitor at the Qurtuba school near “Beit Hadasa” colony, whereby this school, its staff and pupils face almost daily abuses and violence from the colonists. Naheel documents these violations with her camera and participates in all activities in support with Palestinian prisoners. She was kidnapped from her house at 03:00 am on 14.03.2013, and after 27 court sessions was sentenced on 11.11.2014 to 33 months imprisonment, a fine of 3000 NIS and 24 months suspended sentence for five years. Naheel was beaten by the occupation soldiers several times, deprived from family visits, and suffers from rheumatism, irritable bowel syndrome, and severe joint pain and is in need of continuous treatment.
4. Dunia Wakid: 37 years old, from Tulkarim refugee camp, held captive in Israeli jails since 27.05.2013.
Dunia worked in a jewelry shop, before being kidnapped from her house on 27.05.2013, and sentenced to 42 months in jail on 02.02.2014 on charges of trying to smuggle money and mobile phones to Palestinian political prisoners. Her fiancé Mohammad Wakid is currently serving a prison sentence of 29 years. She is not allowed any communication with him, and she is subjected to medical negligence as she suffers from diabetes and asthma. Two of Dunia’s brothers were killed by Israeli occupation forces.
5. Wi’am Jaber ‘Asidah: 22 years old, from Tell in Nablus governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 11.11.2013.
She is a student of Business and Administration at Al-Najah University, and was arrested on 11.11.2013 at Za’tara military checkpoint. Wi’am was accused of possessing a knife and trying to stab an occupation soldier, and sentenced on 24.04.2014 to 32 months imprisonment, a fine of 5000 NIS and 16 months suspended sentence. Her brother ‘Asem ‘Asidah was killed by Israeli occupation
forces, he uncle was sentenced to 27 years in Israeli captivity. Wi’am is deprived from family visits.
6. Falasteen Fareed Najem: 28 years old, from Nablus, held captive in Israeli jails since 20.11.2013.
Falasteen is a former prisoner; was first arrested on 15.02.2006, sentenced to 16 months jail, and was released on 14.06.2007, and arrested again on 20.11.2013, accused of possessing a knife and trying to stab an occupation soldier, which is the ready excuse to kidnap Palestinian women, whereby 80% of female prisoners are accused of this. She was sentenced on 05.01.2015 to 48 months imprisonment, a fine of 3000 NIS and 24 months suspended sentence for five years. Falasteen talks about her experience with the “bosta”: “It is a journey of slow death; an iron structure with iron chairs and walls, smell of vomit is everywhere, and there is no toilet or ventilation despite the fact that the journey in the “bosta” lasts hours and the weekly “journey” for some prisoners… It is very cold, seats are very close to each other to the point of causing pain to the knee, joints and back. The prisoner cannot sit in a comfortable position, because of the restrictions and hand and leg shackles. She also remembers the waiting rooms at the Ofer prison before the court session: “My court session ends in the morning hours, but they keep me held in the dirty waiting rooms until the end of all trials, i.e. at around 17:00, to send me back to Hasharon…. These rooms are as dirty as a dumpsite; there are insects and cockroaches, the smell of humidity is stark, there is lack of air and sun, you cannot use the toilet, even if you need it urgently, because of its dirtiness and the filth is beyond description.”
7. Dima Mohammad Sawahreh: 17 years old, from Jabal Mukkaber in Jerusalem, held captive in Israeli jails since 03.01.2014.
Dima is in the eleventh grade. She was kidnapped and beaten by Israeli occupation soldiers on 03.01.2014, was accused of trying to stab a soldier in old city of Jerusalem, and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. Dima was held captive 6 months in juvenile centre in occupied Akka due to being a minor, after which she was held in isolation for 19 days in Ramla jail in the section for criminal prisoners. Her brother died during her captivity, but she wasn’t allowed to call her parents.
8. Shireen Issawi: 34 years old from Jerusalem, held captive in Israeli jails since 06.03.2014.
Shireen is a human rights lawyer and an advocate for the rights of Palestinian political prisoner. She was also the spokesperson for her brother Samer Issawi during his 270-day hunger strike. Shireen participated in monitoring and documenting Israeli human rights violations committed against Palestinian prisoners. She is herself a former prisoner; she was arrested for the first time in 2010 and imprisoned for a year, in addition to being barred from legal practice for three years, a ruling that was extended in 2013 for another two years. On 06.03.2014, Shireen was kidnapped with her brothers Medhat and Shadi by Israeli occupation soldiers from her family house. Her detention has been extended several times, and she is being held in Israeli detention at HaSharon prison
9. Samaher Zein-Iddin: 34 years old mother of six from Majdal Bani Fadil in Nablus governorate, held captive in israeli jails since 28.05.2014.
Samaher was kidnapped from her home on 28.05.2014. She is a mother of six, but is deprived of family visits, thus is not allowed to see her children. Samaher is also not allowed any communication with her imprisoned family members, such as her husband Nader Zein-Addin and her brothers Ahmad, Nazeh and Abdallah Othman. This includes depriving her of any phone calls or letters from her family. Samaher is currently held captive in HaSharon prison.
10. Bushra Jamal Al-Tawil: 21 years old, from Al-Bireh in Ramallah governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 02.07.2014.
When Bushra was born on 25.04.1993, her father was in South Lebanon, deported there by the Zionist entity with hundreds of Palestinians. He named her Bushrat Kheir – “Bushra” (meaning good tidings). She is a youth activist and a journalist and member in the Palestinian Journalist Union. Bushra was arrested a couple of times; first time on 06.07.2011 after two days from finishing her high school exam. Israeli occupation soldiers raided her family house and kidnapped her. She was sentenced to 16 months in jail. On 18.12.2011, she was released in the prisoner swap deal between Hamas and the Zionist entity. She enrolled at a college in Ramallah to study Journalism to highlight the issue of Palestinian political prisoners. On 02.07.2014, Israeli occupation soldiers raided her family house and kidnapped her again. She is held captive in HaSharon, and a special Israeli military committee canceled her release in the prisoner swap deal, and decided to return her to prison to complete the 10 months remaining of her original sentence.
11. Fida’ Salman: 22 years old, from Beit ‘Ur Al-Tahta in Ramallah governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 26.08.2014.
Fida’ was kidnapped on 26.08.2014 by Israeli occupation soldiers. She was charged with throwing stones at the car of a zionist colonist, and was sentenced on 11.02.2015 to 7 months imprisonment, a fine of 1,500 NIS, and 8 months suspended sentence for four years. Three of her brothers are held captive in zionist jails as well, without charge till now. During her captivity, Fida’ suffered from medical negligence, and fainted several times due to stomach pains for which she did not receive any treatment. She was supposed to be released on 04.03.2015 through Jbraha checkpoint near Tulkarim.
12. Ihsan Dababseh: 28 years old, from Nuba in Hebron, held captive in Israeli jails since 13.10.2014.
Ihsan is a former prisoner: she was arrested the first time on 11.12.2007 and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment, and was released on 06.09.2009. On 13.10.2014, she was arrested for the second time, and is still waiting to be sentenced. Israeli occupation soldiers raided her house several times, sent her 4 summons and threatened to blow up her house of she didn’t come to interrogation center. She went with her mother to detention center and was detained and her personal computer was confiscated, while her mother told to leave. During her first arrest at “Ezion”, Israeli occupation soldiers filmed her while handcuffed and her eyes blindfolded. They were dancing and singing around her, while pushing, humiliating and harassing her. She recalls in an interview: “They handcuffed and blindfolded me, and threw me into a military jeep. After a while, I was thrown at the yard of the Ezion detention centre in front of criminals. It was very cold and raining, and I was left under rain for a while…. After some time, I started hearing loud music and felt that someone was trying to touch me. I tried to keep close to the wall, but it was useless. One occupation soldier brought a bottle of wine and offered me a drink, which I refused, so he continued to harass me… After a few moments, they began attacking me like rabid dogs, and began beating me with their rifle butts and their feet. One of the soldiers beat my head against the iron military jeep until I fainted… I regained conscience to find myself in front of a female doctor wearing military dress, and after a configurable medical examination, I was taken to the interrogation cell, and there began the journey torment and humiliation.”… “The officer who began interrogating me was called Peran; he began threatening to demolish my family’s house and arrest my brothers. The interrogation continued two hours, and afterwards I was taken blindfolded to another interrogation center, I think it was the Russian Compound. There were three interrogators, and the minute I entered the room, they started insulting me and saying curses I don’t want to repeat. One of the interrogators was pulling my hair, and all the time I was handcuffed. This lasted till eleven o’clock at night, and afterwards they transferred me to HaSharon prison, where I was charged with attempting to stab an occupation soldier and the membership in the Islamic Jihad.” She concluded: “I will never rest until the occupation soldiers are punished judicially in order to be a warning to anyone tempted to insult or humiliate any Palestinian prisoner.”
13. Yasmin Sha’ban: 32 years old and a mother of four, from Jalame in Jenin governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 03.11.2014.
Yasmin was kidnapped from her home on 03.11.2014, and underwent five days in interrogation at the Jalame Detention Centre, during which she was left to stand on a chair tied with chains for long periods, and was threatened with the arrest of her husband and children. She was transferred to Hasharon prison on 09.11.2014. She suffers from thyroid problems and shortness of breath and asthma.
14. Hala Msallam Abu Sall: 17 years old, from Al-Arroub refugee camp in Hebron governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 28.11.2014.
Hala was arrested on 28.11.2014 and accused of stabbing an occupation soldier.
15. Amal ahmad Taqatqa: 20 years old, from Beit Fajar in Bethlehem governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 01.12.2014.
On 01.12.2014, Amal was shot with 5 live bullets by Israeli occupation soldiers near the “Gush Ezion” colony block after a colonist claimed that she tried to stab him. She was seriously injured in the chest, her left hand, her left waist and her left leg, and her legs were chained to the bed in hospital. Amal was subjected to interrogation while in hospital, and was told by Israeli interrogators that there was no need for her confession, as evidence was available from cameras at the scene; evidence they never provided. She to was transferred to HaSharon prison on 30.12.2014. Her family’s house was raided and her father arrested. Despite various cameras being present at the “Gush Ezion” junction, no evidence was ever provided by the Israeli occupation forces that Amal tried to stab the colonist till this day. The only photo provided was of a small scratch to the colonist’s neck, which probably was caused by Amal scratching him when he attacked her. While in hospital, she woke up one night to find a colonist pulling her hair.
16. Hanya Munir Naser: 23 years old, from Deir Qadis in Ramallah governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 10.12.2014.
Hanya is a former prisoner, arrested on 12.09.2011 and sentenced to 38 months, and was released on 18.12.2011 in the prisoner swap deal between Hamas and the Zionist entity. On the dawn of 10.12.2014, Hanya’s house was raided by Israeli occupation forces, and she was kidnapped. She is member of the Media Support Team for Palestinian Prisoners. Her brother Naser is also held captive by the Zionist entity.
17. Lina Mohammad Khattab: 18 years old, from Al-Bireh in Ramallah governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 13.12.2014.
Lina is a first-year student Media and Journalism student at Birzeit University, and a dancer in Al-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. She was arrested on 13.12.2014 near Ofer military base in Beitunia-Ramallah, whereby one Israeli occupation soldier twisted her arm, another pulled her from the back so violently that he ripped her shirt and caused her arm to bruise, while other occupation soldiers dragged her to a military jeep. At Ofer prison, her arms and legs were shackled, and was interrogated for hours. Lina was accused of participating in an illegal demonstration and throwing stones at Israeli occupation, which she denied and maintained that she was visiting a friend who lived near Ofer. She was forced to sign a document in Hebrew, a language she doesn’t know, before being transferred to HaSharon prison. On 18.02.2015, and after 11 hearing sessions, Lina was charged with rock throwing at a military vehicle during a demonstration, and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, a fine of 6,000 NIS and 6 months suspended sentence for six years. She is currently held captive in HaSharon prison.
18. Asma’ Jawdat Balhawi: 36 years old, mother of three from Tulkarim, held captive in Israeli jails since 14.12.2014.
Asma’ was arrested on 14.12.2014 and is held captive in HaSharon prison.
19. Aisha Mohammad Da’amseh: 20 years old, from Beit Ummar in Hebron governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 28.01.2015.
Aisha is a student and was arrested with her brother on 28.01.2015 in Bethlehem.
20. Thuraya Kamal Taha: 21 years old, from Beit Ilu in Ramallah governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 12.02.2015.
Thuraya is a student of Media and Technology at Al-Quds Open University. She was arrested on 26.07.2014, sentenced to 22 months imprisonment on 12.02.2015.
21. Yaman Izz-Iddin ‘Amarna: 21 years old, from Ya’bad in Jenin governorate, held captive in Israeli jails since 17.02.2015.
Yaman is a Law student at Al-Quds University. On 17.02.2015, and while in a bus on her way home, Israeli occupation soldiers arrested her at Za’tra military checkpoint near Nablus while on her way home back from the university. In the court session held on Thursday 05.03.2015, Israeli court ordered the release of Yaman on Sunday 08.03.2015 with a fine of 5000 NIS, but at the same time detained her 45-year old blind father, University lecturer Izz-Iddin ‘Amarna, who was summoned for interrogation. Yaman is held at Al-Jalameh detention centre.
In addition to Palestinian female prisoner in Israeli jails, the Zionist entity imprisons the bodies of 3 Palestinian female martyrs:
1. Martyr Dalal Said Mohammad Al-Mughrabi, martyred on 11.03.1978.
2. Martyr Darin Abu Eisheh, from Jenin, martyred on 17.02.2002.
3. Martyr Wafa‘ Ali Khalil Idris, from Al-Am’ari refugee camp, Ramallah, martyred on 21.02.2002.
4. Martyr Hanadi Tayseer Abdel Malik, from Jenin, martyred on 04.10.2003.
Freedom for ALL Palestinian Political Prisoners in Israeli Dungeons
Sources:
http://www.assra48.com
http://www.waed.ps
http://www.samidoun.ca
http://www.addameer.org
http://www.freedom.ps
http://www.wofpp.org
http://www.ahrarwledna.com
Source: Voice from Palestine
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http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2015/03/international-womens-day-palestinian-female-prisoners-and-the-struggle-for-a-free-palestine/
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