At least 30 people were wounded early Monday when hundreds of Palestinian detainees rioted in Israel's southern Ketziot prison, a spokeswoman for the Israel Prisons Authority said, according to dpa.
She conveyed the riot erupted when Israeli security forces entered the facility to carry out a routine search. About 1,000 Palestinian prisoners started throwing objects at the forces and lit fires in ten of the tents where they are being held.
The prison guards overpowered the rioters in about one hour, while extinguishing the fires and evacuating the prisoners. According to her, 15 prisoners were wounded, four of whom needed hospitalization, among them one in serious condition. Another 15 prison guards were also lightly injured, one of whom was hospitalized.
On his part, Ashraf al-Ajarmi, the Palestinian Prisoners Minister told Ynet Monday that at least 50 Palestinian prisoners were injured in the riots. He blasted Israel, saying "instead of corporation and the release of thousands of prisoners, we get dozens of injured ones." According to Ajarmi, some of the prisoners suffered head injuries and are in critical condition.
The Ketziot prison in the southern Israeli Negev desert houses some 2,200 of the around 10,000 Palestinian militants jailed in Israel.
Elsewhere, an Israeli air strike wounded at least four Hamas activists in the northern Gaza Strip early Monday, medical workers said. Hamas initially said one its members had been killed, but medical workers said he was still alive. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed an attack.
