WASHINGTON, July 29. /TASS/. A former Palestinian prisoner has compared the conditions in an Israeli prison with the US camp Guantanamo Bay, known for frequent accusations of human rights violations, the Washington Post said.
Muazzaz Obayat, 37, said he was arrested after tensions escalated on October 7, 2023. He was not charged with any crime while in custody. He "could barely walk" when he left the Ktzi’ot military prison in southern Israel.
The newspaper added that Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been beaten with batons and sometimes with dogs. One prisoner died of a ruptured spleen after being beaten by guards, while another died of a chronic illness due to lack of timely medical care.
On July 17, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported that the number of Palestinians detained by Israeli security forces in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, has exceeded 9,700.
The Guantanamo Bay camp was established in 2002 under US President (2001-2009) George W. Bush, Jr. at the US naval base in the bay of the same name on the island of Cuba. Individuals captured during the US operation in Afghanistan and other anti-terrorist raids were transferred to this camp. In the past, the prison has held about eight hundred prisoners. The prisoners are in a virtual legal vacuum. Barack Obama, who succeeded Bush Jr. signed an executive order to close the special prison within 12 months. Nevertheless, the Guantanamo Bay camp still exists, drawing sharp criticism of Washington from human rights activists.