The Israeli occupation prisons administration began Thursday, February 16, 2023, imposing collective punishments on Palestinian detainees, against the collective disobedience steps they took during the past two days, in response to the measures of the extremist Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir.

In a joint statement, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees and the Palestinian Prisoners Club confirmed that the Israeli prisons administration announced that the punitive measures will be applied since Thursday morning in a number of Israeli prisons.

In Raymond Prison, the announced punitive measures consisted of closing the cantina and some facilities on Fridays and Saturdays, and obligating every detainee who leaves the section to go out with handcuffs, even if he goes out to the prison clinic.

It also announced that the detainees were deprived of morning exercise, which are punitive measures that will remain in place as long as the detainees continue their protest steps.

In Nafha prison, in addition to the measures implemented by the Israeli prisons administration in the past two days, which consisted of placing locks on the bathrooms for showering, and cutting off hot water. In addition, the administration informed the detainees to stop the morning exercise, and to close the facilities on Fridays, in addition to restricting any prisoner who leaves the section. Whatever the reason for his departure.

In Ofer prison, the prison administration announced its intention to impose punitive measures, in the event that the detainees continue to implement their protest steps, which are represented on two levels, individually and collectively. They include Cantina, family visit and the division of the al-Fura (when the detainees are allowed to go out their rooms), and the period available to them is reduced.

The administration withdrew the tiles and some basic tools from one of the sections in Gilboa prison, as a threat to the detainees. In Megiddo prison, the administration also announced a number of threats against the detainees, targeting their exit to the prison yard, and withdrawing some basic tools from their rooms.

This comes after the extremist Ben Gvir decided to close the bakeries that provide the Palestinian detainees with bread daily in early February.

It is noteworthy that the detainees announced the entry into a gradual protest program, starting from last Tuesday, and the implementation of disobedience steps in prisons.

Today, the steps are represented in wearing the brown dress that the prison administration imposes on the detainees. This step means the detainees’ readiness to escalate the confrontation against the prison administration.

It also includes closing the departments, so that all aspects of daily detention life related to prison systems stop, in addition to obstructing the conduct of the so-called (security check), so that prisoners go out for examination while they are handcuffed.

Last Monday, the Supreme Emergency Committee for Prisoners announced its decision to initiate disobedience steps, in response to the prison administration’s measures, which will end with announcing a hunger strike on the first of next Ramadan.

The number of Palestinian detainees in the occupation prisons is about 4,780, including 160 children, 29 women, and 914 administrative detainees.