Abu Al-Hummos: "I Call on the International Committee of the Red Cross to take a bold stand against Ben-Gvir’s arrogance"

August 7, 2026

The Head of the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, Raed Abu Al-Hummos, called on Friday evening upon the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to issue a clear and courageous response to the arrogance and hatred displayed by the Israeli extremist Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has once again signed an order banning family visits to Palestinian detainees and prisoners held in Israeli prisons and detention centers.

Abu Al-Hummos stated: "Ben-Gvir has once again appeared with his childish recklessness in a new episode of moral degradation and disgrace, issuing renewed orders to further isolate male and female prisoners from the outside world, prevent family visits, and continue denying human rights and humanitarian organizations access to them. This is an open act of defiance that disregards the international community and its institutions, including the United Nations."

He added: "Given Ben-Gvir’s blatant audacity, I believe the International Committee of the Red Cross, along with all human rights and humanitarian organizations, is now obliged to speak out loudly, condemn these practices, expose the occupation authorities for refusing to cooperate with international organizations, obstructing their work, and denying their role. They must also issue a clear report using language that reflects the gravity of this contempt for the international community."

Abu Al-Hummos further called on the ICRC and all international and UN institutions to assert their rights in the face of the occupation authorities and to carry out their humanitarian and moral responsibilities without requiring Israel’s approval. He stressed the need for genuine action to challenge and break the policy of imposed fait accompli that the occupation authorities have enforced over the past three years at an unprecedented pace, in blatant violation of international law and universally recognized legal norms.

It is worth noting that since October 7, 2023, the lives of Palestinian prisoners have turned into a living hell. They have been stripped of all their rights and personal belongings and are now confined to bare prison cells while being subjected to systematic torture and abuse. These politically motivated practices have turned them into genuine victims of organized state terrorism.

Commission of Detainees' Affairs: Harsh detention conditions devastate juvenile detainees in Megiddo prison

August 2, 2026

The Commission of Detainees' Affairs and Ex-Detainees Affairs stated in a report issued today, Sunday, that juvenile Palestinian detainees held in Megiddo Prison are enduring extremely harsh detention conditions that have robbed them their childhood.
The Commission's advocate reported that detainee Mohammad Arafat Sidqi Sawafta, a 20-year-old from Tubas Governorate who has been detained since 17 June 2025, is battling serious health conditions. He suffers from arthritis, in addition to a stomach virus and another viral infection affecting his eyes. Although he received treatment for the eye infection, his health remains so poor that he is forced to walk with the aid of a walker, reflecting the severity of the medical suffering he continues to endure in detention.
The report further noted that all detainees have experienced significant weight loss as a result of severe malnutrition. The food portions provided are extremely inadequate and fail to meet even their most basic nutritional needs for survival.
Describing the detention conditions, the Commission's advocate stated: "detainees are transferred while handcuffed despite repeated objections to this practice. As a result, signing documents becomes extremely difficult, and they are often unable even to hold the telephone used to communicate during legal visits, turning these meetings into exhausting experiences that fall far short of the minimum standards required for confidential and effective legal consultations."

Detainees in Megiddo also suffer from a severe shortage of cleaning supplies. Shower water is available for only one hour per day, and even then, not on a regular basis. The same applies to the daily outdoor exercise period ("yard time"), which is limited to no more than one hour and is not consistently granted. Drinking water is obtained directly from the taps, while each detainee possesses only a single set of clothing.
The days pass painfully slowly for the detainees, made even harsher not only by the deprivation of their liberty but also by the physical, humanitarian, and psychological suffering they endure. They continue to face hunger, humiliation, and deprivation of the most basic necessities required for a dignified human life.

Abu Al-Hummos: “Has the world become incapable of holding Ben-Gvir and the occupation state accountable ?!"

August 5, 2026

The Head of the Commission of Detainees' Affairs, Minister Raed Abu Al-Hummos, condemned on Wednesday evening what he described as the international community's blatant abandonment, silence, and cowardice in the face of the actions of extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir and the Israeli occupation authorities, whose forces, he said, have adopted a systematic policy of retaliation against Palestinian prisoners and female detainees held in Israeli prisons.

Abu Al-Hummos stated that this shameful silence has become an integral part of the crimes being committed inside Israeli prisons and detention centers. He added that it is inconceivable for the world to abandon its humanity and moral responsibility in order to appease Israel and its colonial project, which, he said, poses a threat to both the region and global stability.

He further noted that Ben-Gvir's extremism, hatred, and racism led him on Wednesday to visit Negev Prison to inspect the area where he reportedly intends to place crocodiles in order to prevent Palestinian prisoners from escaping. He was accompanied by the far-right Israeli politician Idit Silman.

Abu Al-Hummos called on the silent international community, along with its institutions and organizations, to take a stand, if only for once, and to free itself from what he described as blind subservience to capitalism and the influence of the Zionist lobby. He urged the international community to demonstrate courage and act immediately to hold the occupying power and those responsible for alleged crimes accountable.

It is worth noting that the Israeli authorities have been promoting the idea of surrounding Negev Prison with crocodiles. According to Abu Al-Hummos, an Israeli animal rights organization objected to the proposal, claiming concern for the crocodiles' welfare. He argued that this entire episode has failed to prompt international institutions, organizations, and human rights bodies to condemn Israel or take action against its policies.

Palestinian prisoners post- Oct 7

Harsh conditions endured by female prisoners at Damon Prison

August 5, 2026

Detainee Hanaa Mohammad Muhyeealdeen Tahayna (48), from the city of Jenin, is currently held at Damon Prison. She was arrested on June 8, 2026, and placed under administrative detention. She is the mother of six children.

In a report issued on Wednesday, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs stated that Tahaynah is experiencing imprisonment for the first time. However, she had long been familiar with its hardship as the wife of former prisoner Sharif Tahaynah, who previously spent ten years in Israeli prisons.

According to her testimony to the Commission's lawyer, Israeli occupation forces raided her home at approximately 3:00 a.m., searched the house, and arrested her without allowing her to bid farewell to her children. Soldiers handcuffed her with plastic restraints, blindfolded her, and forced her to walk a long distance despite the fact that military vehicles could have reached the vicinity of her home.
Tahayneh further stated that she was kept for hours in a small room resembling a storage closet while handcuffed and blindfolded, and was denied access to the bathroom. During her transfer to Sharon Prison, she felt that one of the soldiers was filming her. When she attempted to slightly lift her blindfold, she was subjected to shouting and verbal abuse. Upon arrival at the prison, she was strip-searched, beaten, humiliated, dragged, and her head was violently forced to the ground. After this painful ordeal, she was transferred to Damon Prison, where she remains detained.

The detainee also suffers from several chronic medical conditions, including migraines, rheumatism, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and varicose veins accompanied by persistent pain. Despite her condition, the Israeli Prison Service refused to provide her with even a single painkiller.

The conditions endured by female prisoners in Damon Prison remain extremely harsh. The prison lacks the most basic necessities of humane living, including adequate food, clothing, and essential feminine hygiene supplies. In addition, the women are subjected to repeated punitive raids and searches of their cells without justification, forced into the prison yard during the peak of the scorching summer heat, and insulted with degrading and offensive language.

Commission of Detainees’ Affairs: Ongoing violations against female detainees at Damon Prison

August 2, 2026

The Commission of Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs stated on Sunday, citing its lawyer following a visit to Damon Prison, that female detainees are subjected to ongoing violations by the prison administration.

According to the Commission’s lawyer, detainee Amna Suweilem (55), from the city of Nablus, who has been detained since 3 November 2025, reported that the detention conditions in Damon Prison are extremely harsh and difficult.
Suweilem suffers from shoulder pain caused by a torn tendon. She also suffers from thyroid disorders and a hernia in the abdominal muscles.
Meanwhile, detainee Layla Khalil (22), from the town of Beitunia, Ramallah, who was arrested on June 2, 2026, is being held in the isolation section known as “fattening section." She stated that prison conditions are extremely poor, saying:
"The prison conditions are extremely bad. The food is poor both in quality and quantity. We are allowed only one recreation period per day, lasting one hour, and many of the female detainees are unable to shower because the time is too limited."