Terrorist Thaer Abu Asab, 38, died at Ktzi'ot Prison about a month ago after being beaten in his cell by prison guards, it was cleared for publication on Wednesday night.
An investigation of the incident revealed that a fight broke out between the terrorists who were in the cell together with Abu Asab and the guards who arrived at the scene. A few hours later, Abu Asab died of injuries sustained during the fight.
On Sunday, the guards were detained for questioning under a warning, on suspicion of assaulting a prisoner, and were released after being interrogated. They are suspected of assault and causing injury.
Abu Asab served a prison sentence of more than 20 years after he was arrested at a checkpoint near Shechem (Nablus) in 2005. An explosive belt that he planned to detonate on soldiers who were securing the checkpoint was found on his body.
The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said in response, "Since the start of the 'Swords of Iron' war, the Israel Prison Service has taken in thousands of security prisoners. As a result, the level of challenges and threats faced by the guards has risen, and they are carrying out their tasks and mobilizing for the fighting effort."
"We stress that even under the difficult security reality in Israel, the organization is careful to maintain professionalism and values. Incidents that require an investigation, if any, will take place in full cooperation with the investigating unit until the conclusion of the investigation," the statement added.
Attorney Adi Keidar from the Honenu legal aid organization, which is assisting the guards who were interrogated, said, "Unfortunately, the Israel Police conducts itself as it always does, and has not changed a thing since the outbreak of the war. Prison guards who acted in accordance with the instructions against security-terrorist prisoners, find themselves interrogated like the last of the criminals, in investigations in which they suffered humiliation, and if that was not enough, it was agreed to release them but on the condition that they be under strict restrictive conditions and removed from their jobs."
"These are prison guards who face difficult challenges in dealing with dangerous prisoners. And they do everything in accordance with the instructions and procedures. We expect the commissioner of the Israel Prison Service to intervene immediately and order the return of the guards to their jobs," Keidar added.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said in response, "I will not conduct a field trial for the prison guards. They have the presumption of innocence - and there is no place to determine their fate before a thorough investigation is carried out - it should be remembered that our prison guards are dealing with human scum, murderers, who pose a security risk and I would suggest not to slander the guards."