Hamas and the Palestine Islamic Jihad have said a “brutal assault” on Palestinian prisoners is “barbaric criminal behaviour that reflects the fascist and terrorist nature of” Israel, Al Jazeera reports.

Their joint statement came after Palestinian authorities said Israeli forces raided a section of Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and assaulted detainees.

The groups called the attack a “miserable attempt” by Israel “to restore its shattered prestige”. They called on the world to expose “these inhuman crimes against the prisoners”, which “blatantly violate all international conventions and norms”.

The statement called on the international community to intervene to protect the “prisoners, stop criminal violations against them, document them and work to hold the criminal occupation leaders accountable”.

“Prisoners were beaten and sprayed with gas,” the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office said.