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Middle East conflict

At least 54 Palestinian inmates died in Israeli jails since October 7, 2023

The Palestinian side claims that the Israelis subject Palestinian inmates to starvation, electrocution and sleep deprivation

CAIRO, June 21. /TASS/. At least 54 Palestinian inmates have died in Israeli prisons during the latest round of the Middle East conflict, which broke out on October 7, the ministry of detainees of the Gaza Strip said.

"54 martyrs from various Palestinian provinces died in occupation prisons as a result of torture, inhumane prison conditions and systematic attacks on inmates," the statement says.

The ministry claimed that Palestinian prisoners are kept in very narrow cells with a limited number of beds, so many of them have to sleep on the floor.

"Judging by the testimony of those released from Israeli prisons and detention centers, a wide range of torture and degrading treatment is practiced there," the statement says.

The Palestinian side claims that the Israelis subject Palestinian inmates to starvation, electrocution and sleep deprivation, as well as deny medical assistance to them.

The ministry called upon "all international human rights organization to visit Israeli prisons and pretrial detention centers to document and uncover serious violations and brutal crimes against inmates."

According to latest reports of the Palestinian commission on prisoners, more than 9,100 Palestinians have been detained by Israelis in the West Bank since October 7, 2023.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.

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