A Palestinian Foreign Ministry statement claims that Israel is “guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity”.
Terror groups including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have announced a “day of rage” for this Friday, encouraging Palestinians to take to the streets to demonstrate and violently confront Israeli security forces due to new prison policies.
“In light of the frenzied attack against our prisoners, we call on our Palestinian people to make Friday a day of Palestinian rage in the face of the arrogance of the occupation and its aggression against the prisoners,” read a statement from Hamas, which added that Palestinians should “head towards [checkpoints] and clash with the enemy army.”
Earlier this week, six prisoners, most of whom are affiliated with PIJ, escaped from Gilboa Prison after a series of embarrassing security blunders.
In response, Israel’s prisons commissioner has put forth new policies aimed at stepping up security.
Family visits for Palestinian security prisoners have been suspended indefinitely.
The announcement of the policies has enraged Palestinian terror groups, who called the measures “repressive” and provocative enough to spark “a new intifada.”
A source within the Palestinian Authority told the Jerusalem Post that “Israel is playing with fire. The issue of the prisoners is extremely sensitive. The situation is very dangerous.”
Wasel Abu Youssef, Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), said the Palestinian people reject the “policy of harassment and Israeli violations against [the prisoners.]”
“What is required is a large popular rally in all [Palestinian] governorates, including Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in support of the prisoners,” he told the Middle East Eye.
In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry called the new Israeli policies tantamount to “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”