2 Palestinian inmates in Israeli jail contract COVID-19

RAMALLAH

Two more Palestinian detainees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of the infected detainees in Israeli jails to 137, a Palestinian commission on prisoners said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said that Omar Mansour and Jaafar Haddad, both from Nablus, contracted the coronavirus in the Petah Tikva detention center.

Both were recently detained.

The statement said majority of the infected prisoners are in in the Gilboa Prison.

Palestinian figures show that around 4,500 Palestinians, including 40 women, 170 children and 700 patients suffering from chronic diseases, are currently held in Israeli detention facilities.

*Bassel Barakat in Ankara contributed to this report