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RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- The Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners Affairs said Sunday that more families had been barred from visiting prisoners in Israeli jails despite a deal earlier this year that family visits would be reinstated.

To end mass hunger strikes in Israeli jails, prison authorities struck an agreement in May to allow family visits for prisoners from the Gaza Strip and those barred based on stated security reasons.

Since then, Israel has permitted seven visits for 221 prisoners from Gaza, leaving another 449 Gazans still without family visits, prisoners rights group Addameer says.

For the security-related bans, the groups says many have now received permission for family visits, but some are still denied.

The prisoners ministry report said 1,800 family members are still preventing from visiting prisoners, including relatives over the age of 70.

Some prisoners have not seen their family for five years, the report said.

It said that Israel had not provided legal justifications for continuing to bar family members.

"All Israeli violations of the Geneva conventions and human rights principles have to end. Israeli authorities should allow families to visit their relatives without any restrictions," the report quoted Ahmed Awad Kmail, a prisoner from Qabatiya, saying.

Latest figures from Addameer show 4,660 Palestinians are held in Israeli jail.