GAZA CITY
Israeli authorities on Monday allowed 73 Gazans to visit relatives detained in Israel's Nafha Prison for the first time in four months, a Palestinian NGO has said.
"As many as 73 Gazans on Monday visited relatives in Nafha Prison through the Erez crossing [between Gaza and Israel]," the Waed Society for Palestinian Detainees said in a Monday statement.
The Israel authorities forbade prison visits from Gaza following the kidnap and murder of three West Bank Jewish settlers in June.
Previously, the Israeli Prison Service had allowed inmates to receive family visits on Mondays.
Visitation rights are often withdrawn whenever Israel wants to take punitive measures against Palestinian faction Hamas in Gaza, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, or the Palestinian people in general.
Over 7,000 Palestinians are currently languishing in prisons throughout Israel, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners' Affairs.
www.aa.com.tr/en
