Nearly 11,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons. Israel considers them security threats while Palestinians view the imprisonments as political. This week, BBC News reports Israel will release 250 prisoners as a goodwill gesture toward negotiations with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, an emergency government set up in response to the popular election of Hamas, which is widely regarded as a terrorist organization.

HOTHOUSE by Shimon Dotan goes inside some of these highest security prisons in Israel to reveal first-hand the stories of men and women being held.

Labels: Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, prisons