Daijiworld Media Network - Ramallah

Ramallah, Nov 13: Israeli authorities have barred dozens of families of Palestinian prisoners deported to Egypt from travelling out of the West Bank, according to Abdullah al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, on Wednesday.

Calling the move a “systematic policy of collective punishment,” al-Zaghari said that several of the deported prisoners are in poor health and require constant medical attention and family support, Xinhua News Agency reported. He appealed to international and humanitarian organisations to intervene, saying the restrictions were causing deep suffering for the affected families.

Al-Zaghari also noted that uncertainty surrounds the future of the deportees, including whether they will be allowed to resettle in other countries or remain indefinitely in Egypt.

Earlier this year, Israel deported 383 Palestinian prisoners to Egypt as part of a prisoner-hostage exchange agreement with Hamas. Most of those released have stayed in Egypt since their transfer, he said.

Under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal, Israel stipulated that any Palestinian prisoner convicted of killing Israelis and released through the exchange must be permanently exiled and barred from returning to the West Bank.

As of now, Israeli authorities have not issued any statement in response to the allegations regarding the travel ban.