The police said that the four lawyers received letters from the prisoners, held in high security jails in Israel. Some of the messages were innocuous, and contained only greetings, but some dealt with the hierarchy of Islamic Jihad, appointments to various positions within the organization, coordination of strikes by prisoners and also the movement's stance on Hamas.

According to the police, the four were paid thousands of Israeli shekels in exchange for their services.

The four lawyers have admitted to the allegations against them after documents retrieved from their homes during investigations tied them to the charges, the police said.

The Jerusalem District Prosecution filed the first indictment in the case, against Suheir Ayoub from the Akka city in northern Israel. She was charged with providing services for an illegal association.

The indictment said that Ayoub received between 400-800 shekel (approximately US$115-230) from each prisoner for her mediation.

The prosecution said Ayoub was able to obtain the necessary permit to visit the prisoners after informing the Israeli Prison Services she was acting as their legal counsel. Her visits, claimed the prosecution, allowed her to help promote the movement's agenda.

The prosecution added that the investigation against the other three lawyers implicated will continue. 

Wasim Dakkour, Ayoub’s lawyer, said that allegations against his client “are illegal”.

Dakkour said that his client “extended services within the scope of her normal responsibilities as a lawyer.”

He added that the documents retrieved from Ayoub’s home “are related to the internal affairs of the (Islamic Jihad) prisoners and do not harm the state’s security.”

He added that Ayoub will serve three months in jail if convicted.