DaysofPal – The head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Abdullah al-Zaghari, said Wednesday that Israeli occupation authorities continue to prevent dozens of families of freed Palestinian prisoners who were deported to Egypt from traveling as part of a systematic policy of collective punishment.
In a press statement published on Telegram, al-Zaghari explained that a number of the deported prisoners in Egypt are suffering from extremely difficult health conditions and are in urgent need of continuous medical care and the presence of their families by their side.
He pointed to the case of the freed prisoner Abdul Rahman Salah (71 years old), from Jenin, who spent 23 years in Israeli prisons and was released as part of a prisoner exchange deal earlier this year. Al-Zaghari noted that Salah has been hospitalized in Egypt since his release and remains in critical condition.
Al-Zaghari stressed that “the occupation has not been content with torturing prisoners and depriving them of their families throughout their years of detention but continues its retaliatory policy after their release, using travel bans against their families as an additional tool of punishment and control.”
He also referred to the case of the martyred freed prisoner Mo’tasem Raddad, who died shortly after being released and deported to Egypt, noting that his family was deprived of saying goodbye to him or meeting him even in his final moments.
Al-Zaghari called on all concerned parties to “make every possible effort to end the policy of collective punishment that targets most of the freed and deported prisoners by denying their families the right to travel and reunite with them.”
He further noted that several issues related to the fate of the deportees, particularly those in Egypt, remain unclear, including the possibility of receiving them in other countries for permanent settlement.
Al-Zaghari expressed his gratitude to Egypt, which continues to host and receive dozens of the freed Palestinian prisoners.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Israel has deported 383 prisoners who were released in exchange deals earlier this year, all of whom were received by Egypt, where most of them have remained since their release.
The Club also noted that Israeli authorities continue to commit violations against Palestinian detainees through various measures, including administrative detention, which has now reached 3,544 detainees, in addition to the detention of 400 minors currently held in Israeli prisons.
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