Qaddoura Faris, head of Nadi Al-Asir and former Minister of Prisoners Affairs, told the Voice of Palestine Radio that the IPS decided to prevent the entry of whole chicken into prisons as part of its punitive measures against some 7,000 Arab and Palestinian prisoners.

Faris added that the IPS took the decision “in order not to allow the prisoners to stuff chicken.” He quoted an IPS official as saying that the “stuffed chickens are prepared for festive holidays and parties and we will not allow them to celebrate even in eating.”

On June, the Palestinian prisoners Sa’ed Omar posted on his Facebook page several photos of the lavish meals he and other prisoners are served. Omar, who is serving a 19-year sentence, posted photos of prisoners preparing stuffed chickens before they gathered around a luxurious table to eat their meal.

The pictures drew harsh criticism against the IPS and the Israeli government from the campaign to free kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

The IPS move against the Arab and the Palestinian prisoners comes as their open-hunger strike against Israeli decision to revoke their privileges entered its ninth day.

The hunger strikers want improved food quality, eased restrictions on family visitations, access to university education, entry of books into prisons, telephones, Arab satellite channels, an end to strip searches, end of solitary confinement, and imposition of financial fines on prisoners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided in June to revoke the prisoners’ privileges in order to pressure Hamas into releasing kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still under Hamas captivity since June 2006.

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

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official denied reports that German mediator Gerhard Konrad arrived in the Egyptian capital of Cairo in an effort to reach a prisoner exchange deal between his movement and Israel.

Riad Al-Ashqar, of the Hamas’ Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees, said that “the German mediator’s role has completely ended, and he won’t return again.”

Al-Ashqar added that the surprising visit by Conrad to Egypt was only intended to distract attention from the strike of Palestinian prisoners held in 23 prisons and detention camps in Israel and in the West Bank.

He added that the purpose of the trip was to promote Israeli interests and to deceive the world. He added that there are no news on the prisoner-exchange agreement.

On Tuesday, a German news agency reported that Conrad had landed in Cairo on Monday for a clandestine visit of several days, during which he was slated to meet with several Egyptian officials in an attempt to restart talks regarding a deal between Israel and Hamas, which would free captive Shalit in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Egyptian sources claimed that Hamas leaders were scheduled to arrive in Cairo in the next days in order to advance Palestinians reconciliation talks.

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. Another issue yet to be settled is Israel’s demand to deport almost 100 of the 450 “heavy” prisoners set to be released in the deal.