The club said that the IPS barred the entry of books, of all its fields, into 23 prisons and detention camps as punishment against some 7,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The club said that it prevented the families from bringing books to their relatives during their visitation. In early July, the Israeli security authorities decided to bar six Palestinian families from entering Israel for smuggling cell phones into prisons.

It added that the Palestinian prisoners who are held in solitary confinement are “the biggest sufferers from the Israeli decision since the books are a sole source of engagement for them.”

The club said that the IPS move is part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision last June to take away prisoners’ privileges in order to pressure Hamas into releasing kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still held in Hamas’ captivity since June 2006.

Netanyahu’s decision came in response to Hamas’ refusal to let the International Committee of the Red Cross International visit Shalit.

IPS said in late July that it would bar the prisoners from enrolling in university studies.

The Israeli authority added that it would block the cellular reception in jails to prevent Hamas prisoners from communicating with the movement’s prisoners in other Israeli jails and with the Hamas leaders in Gaza Strip. It said that the prisoners would not have the right to conjugal visits or vacations.

Since December 2009, Egypt, Germany and France had failed to finalize the prisoners’ swap deal for the release of Shalit in exchange with hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The failure is due to differences between Hamas and Israel.

Hamas wants Israel to free up to 1,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons in exchange for the release of Shalit, and the Palestinian movement has reportedly presented a list of 450 names in Israeli prisons.

Israel also objects to freeing Israeli Arab prisoners as well as several Hamas military wing leaders.