Israeli Repression Units Storm Section 3 of Negev Prison

Members of the repression units affiliated with the Israeli Prison Service. (Wafa)
Members of the repression units affiliated with the Israeli Prison Service. (Wafa)
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Israeli Repression Units Storm Section 3 of Negev Prison

Members of the repression units affiliated with the Israeli Prison Service. (Wafa)
Members of the repression units affiliated with the Israeli Prison Service. (Wafa)

Israeli repression units stormed Thursday morning section “3” in the Israeli prison of Negev and forcibly moved a number of Palestinian prisoners to another section, according to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs.

This comes after a series of raids by the Israeli units, the latest of which was a few days ago in section 26, said the Commission.

Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) and the Commission held the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) fully responsible for inmates in Negev prison.

This raid follows the visit of Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The PPS noted that the IPS has carried out several raids on the prison since the beginning of this year and has imposed sanctions on hundreds of inmates there.

Some of these sanctions include financial fines, solitary confinement, and arbitrarily transferring a group of captives to other prisons.

The raids are part of the fixed policies endorsed by the IPS.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that since 2019, the IPS escalated exemplary punishment against captives during raids. In 2019-2020, several raids occurred, and they were the most violent in years.

In 2021, the raids increased following the “Freedom Tunnel” operation and they have never stopped since then.



Report: Russian Government Delegation Arrives in Syria for Talks 

People stand on a balcony of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
People stand on a balcony of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
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Report: Russian Government Delegation Arrives in Syria for Talks 

People stand on a balcony of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)
People stand on a balcony of the historic Hejaz train station in Damascus on January 26, 2025. (AFP)

The first Russian official delegation to visit Syria since the toppling of Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Damascus, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday.  

The delegation includes deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also President Vladimir Putin's special representative on the Middle East and Africa, as well as Alexander Lavrentiev, the president's special representative on Syria, the RIA Novosti agency reported.  

It said it was "the first visit by Russian officials to Damascus" since Assad fled in December in the face of a lightning opposition advance across the country.  

Moscow was one of Assad's key backers, intervening in Syria's civil war in 2015 in his favor. He and his family fled to Russia after his ouster. 

Russia is now seeking to secure the fate of its naval base in Tartus and its air base at Hmeimim - both on Syria's Mediterranean coast and Moscow's only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union - with the new Syrian authorities.  

The group led by Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa - Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - is banned in Russia as a "terrorist" organization.  

The organization is rooted in Al-Qaeda's Syria branch but has more recently adopted a moderate tone. 

Sharaa in December noted the "deep strategic interests between Russia and Syria" in an interview with the Al-Arabiya TV channel.  

"All Syria's arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts... We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish," Sharaa added.  

US and Ukrainian diplomats visited Syria's new rulers in December.