Day 222: Jerusalem during “Al-Aqsa Flood” Operation
On the 222nd day of "Al-Aqsa Flood Operation", settlers' raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque continued, while separate raids were carried out on towns and neighborhoods in the city of Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, 89 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, during the morning and afternoon incursion periods, and the settlers performed prayers during the raid.
In the dawn hours, forces stormed the Shu’fat refugee camp and the town of Anata in Jerusalem, raided several homes, and arrested 3 Jerusalemites.
The forces also set up police checkpoints in the streets of Jerusalem and at some entrances to villages and neighborhoods.
The Negev prison administration released the prisoner, Othman Ahmed Jalajel, after spending two years in administrative detention. The intelligence summoned Jalajel for immediate investigation at the Al-Maskobyeh Police Station in Jerusalem, and after detention, they released him on condition of “not holding any celebration, raising banners or flags, or setting off firecrackers.”
In a meeting with the freed prisoner Othman Jalajel, he talked about some of what the Palestinian prisoners have been experiencing since the beginning of the war last October, he said: “I left today with a sad heart that is attached to the prisoners... and I learned of the news of my grandmother’s death today, four months after her death. I was praying for her every day, and today in particular, as she was receiving dialysis treatment every Wednesday, but after I left prison, I learned of her death.”
Jalajel described the Negev prison as "Guantánamo of the Negev... a cemetery for the living."
He said: “The most severe types of torture, intimidation, and humiliation are in prison, and the prisoner lives with feelings of fear, cold, hunger, pain, and anxiety. Public and collective prayers are prohibited, and the Qur’an is forbidden. After several complaints during Ramadan, the Qur’an was brought to the prison, but to this day it is forbidden to recite it out loud.”
Regarding the food provided, he said: “It is torture for the intestines. The food is uncooked or has dirt on it. There is no water or sugar. The prisoner’s body is emaciated. There is no treatment and skin diseases are widespread among the prisoners due to lack of hygiene and the lack of cleaning tools and water.”
Throughout the winter, there were no clothes or blankets to protect the prisoner from the cold, and the windows were open. He said: “On the first day of the war, the rooms were stormed, and after a complete search, all the clothes were confiscated except for “a short-sleeve blouse, pants, and underwear.” These are the same clothes that the prisoner wears until today, every prisoner has no choice but to wash it “if water is available” and wear it immediately.”
As for repression, it continues in the Negev, but not on a daily or permanent basis. The last repression occurred two days ago due to a verbal altercation between the warden and one of the prisoners after shining a light on his eyes at night. On the second day, the forces stormed the room and beat the prisoner, then took him out. Then the repression unit, accompanied with dogs, broke into the rooms and attacked all the prisoners, and then everyone was transferred to the "cage" where the prisoners were forced to sit on the ground "squat" while tied.
He explained that while the prisoner was heading to court sessions or to meet his lawyer, he was assaulted and forced to walk in a certain way “not to raise his head.”
Jalajel pointed out that the forces beat him today before releasing him.
