Mahmoud Al-Amlah, one of the Palestinian prisoners injured last week in an Israel Prison Service raid at Ofer prison in the West Bank, is suffering from a fracture to the face and a cracked rib, his lawyer said. Ahlam Haddad recounted that her client claimed there had been no provocation or other reason for what she described as the "unreasonable and illegal force" that was used. Last week, there were disturbances at the prison, located south west of Ramallah, after authorities raided the facility in search of cellphones and other contraband they suspected had been smuggled into the prison. After the raid, the prison service said six prisoners were injured and examined at the scene and were not found in need of hospital treatment. On Sunday, however, the prison service acknowledged that 17 prisoners had been taken to the hospital following the incident, but said they were not admitted as inpatients. According to the Palestinians, about 140 prisoners were injured in the incident, including many who sustained bruises and at least two who were wounded with rubber-tipped bullets. In the course of the prison raid, members of special prison service units and police armed with rifles, crowd dispersal equipment and dogs entered the facility. Al-Amlah is accused of attempting to hold funds for Islamic Jihad. His lawyer provided a description of her client's condition to the Ofer military court, saying that he sustained a fracture of a bone in the lower part of an eye and hemorrhaging in the eye and required seven stitches under the eye. He also sustained a cracked rib and an injury to the head, she said. The Israel Prison Service did not respond to a request to explain the circumstances of Al-Amlah's injuries. Haddad said Al-Amlah recounted that security forces entered his room and set upon him and another prisoner. They hit them forcefully with clubs, pot covers, high-heeled shoes, and fired rubber-tipped bullets and pepper spray. After several hours, Al-Amlah was taken to Hadassah Medical Center at Ein Karem in occupied Jerusalem, where he remained for 15 hours before being returned to the prison, Haddad told the court. He was later returned to the hospital for a few hours before being taken back to Ofer prison. Haddad said Al-Amlah and his cellmates had been confined to their cell for a week after the prison service said they found cellphones in the prisoners' possession. As part of the punishment, all of the prisoners' belongings were taken away. They were left with just mattresses and blankets. The inmate's lawyer said her client sustained a fracture to the face, a cracked rib and injuries to his eye and head — Agencies
