Illness, Hunger, and Medical Neglect Devastate Palestinian Detainees in Israeli Jails

May 6, 2025

The harsh reality faced by sick Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention continues to deteriorate, as the occupation authorities intensify their policy of punishment through deliberate medical neglect.

The systematic denial of healthcare, especially for elderly and ill detainees, adds unbearable physical and psychological suffering. Israeli prisons have become virtual coffins, those who enter are lost, and those who survive are reborn.

In a report published today, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs highlighted several alarming health cases among detainees:

. Hussein Abu Kweik, 68, from Ramallah, is a father of seven and was arrested on November 15, 2023. Currently held in Section 24 of the Negev prison under administrative detention, he has spent a total of 17 years in Israeli jails. He has lost over 60 kilograms and suffers from severe joint and knee inflammation without receiving any treatment, despite repeated pleas. He also has untreated scabies. Abu Kweik is a survivor of an assassination attempt during the Second Intifada, when his car was bombed, killing his wife, son, and two daughters.

. Thaer Ouda, 40, from Balata Refugee Camp, has been detained since September 25, 2024, and is currently in Section 8 of the Negev Prison. He was infected with scabies and only received minimal care when the condition became severe. Symptoms remain visible on his hands. He describes conditions in the prison as degrading, with frequent insults and no improvement in detention conditions.

. Riyad Swafteh, 22, from Tubas, has been held under administrative detention in the Negev Prison since May 10, 2023. He has suffered from scabies for around eight months without any medical intervention.

. Raed Adel Wadie Ratrout, 39, from Nablus, has served 18 years of a 27-year sentence and is held in Section 21 of the Negev Prison. He is experiencing serious dental issues but has been denied treatment. He also notes that both the quality and quantity of food remain poor.

. Yahya Jamil Al-Khatib, 36, from Beit Rima/ Ramallah, was arrested on February 22, 2024, and has had his administrative detention extended four times. He shares a cell with two prisoners suffering from scabies, yet none of them have received treatment.He reported harsh sanitary conditions and lack of access to showers.

. Sohaib Said Mohammad Kabha, 30, from Ya’bad/ Jenin, suffers from ongoing headaches and blurred vision in his left eye due to a head injury caused by beating from prison guards. A month ago, he also contracted the new "amoeba" virus, resulting in a weight loss of over 50 kilograms. Kabha was arrested on November 22, 2023, and is serving an 18-month administrative sentence.

. Mahmoud Mohammad Allan, 32, from Anata, Jerusalem, suffers from spinal pain and a serious injury to his right hand following a violent assault by prison guards in March 2024 while in Ramleh Prison.
Despite multiple requests for treatment, he has received none. He is currently held in the Negev Prison and was sentenced to four years after his arrest on November 27, 2022.

. Mohammad Maher Sarsour, 23, from Beitunia near Ramallah, sustained severe bruises across his body after being brutally beaten by guards about a week ago. He reported that “all detainees in Section 28 of the Negev are infected with the amoeba virus, and are suffering from continuous diarrhea and vomiting.”
Sarsour has been detained since May 26, 2024, under administrative detention. His detention has been extended twice, and he is expected to be released on May 22, 2025.

The administration of Damoun prison targets elderly women detainees

● International Workers’ Day: Palestinian Labor Workers Targeted by Israeli Occupation

May 1, 2025

Ramallah, Palestine - On the occasion of International Workers' Day, which falls on May 1 of each year, Palestinian prisoner defense groups highlight how the Israeli occupation has targeted Palestinian workers for decades, and that arrests and persecution constitute the most prominent oppressive policies pursued against them.

This is in addition to the fact that a large portion of the Palestinian prisoners who fought for the freedom of their land and people are from the working class. Over the decades, the occupation has furthered its policies to target them, deprive them of their rights, and impose increased control and oversight over their right to work and life.

The Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, and the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association confirmed in a statement that since the beginning of the ongoing genocide, the occupation has escalated its targeting of workers and their persecution through arrests. The issue of Palestinian workers has become one of the most prominent and pressing matters, given the escalation of systematic crimes and violations against them, including arrests, persecution, and torture.

Thousands of Palestinian workers from across Palestine have been subjected to mass arrests and systematic crimes, as part of a policy of collective revenge that the occupation has escalated in an unprecedented manner, compared to previous periods when Palestine witnessed widespread popular uprisings against the Israeli occupation. We recall here the case of Gaza workers, thousands of whom were arrested after October 7 while working in the territories occupied in 1948. They were detained in harsh and oppressive conditions and subjected to systematic torture without trial or charge before the majority were later released. Several of these workers were martyred, while the occupation continues to impose the crime of enforced disappearance on others and refuses to disclose their fate.

The occupation has escalated its persecution and arrests of workers for entering the territories occupied in 1948 without permits, including in occupied Jerusalem. These arrests have been accompanied by various forms of assault and detention in harsh and difficult conditions. This is taking place amidst escalating policies of systematic oppression against our people, the isolation of governorates and towns from one another, the continued expansion of settlements, and the theft of Palestinian funds.

Prisoners' institutions renew their demand to all international human rights bodies at all levels to open an independent international investigation in light of the continued escalation of crimes and the war of genocide against our people in Gaza. They must work to put an end to the escalating and unprecedented crimes against prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons, and to restore the true and necessary role of human rights in the face of the brutality of the occupation, supported by international forces that ignore the entire human and humanitarian community and all the voices of free people in the world.

Detainees in Ofer Prison Endure Medical Negligence and Inhumane Conditions

Commission of Detainees Affairs: Detainees in Ofer Prison Endure Medical Negligence and Inhumane Conditions

May 5, 2025

The Commission of Detainees Affairs has reported alarming conditions faced by Palestinian detainees held in Ofer prison, highlighting ongoing medical neglect and escalating repressive measures by the prison administration. According to the Commission’s legal representative, who recently visited the facility, detainees are subjected to deliberate medical negligence and degrading treatment, including repeated violent raids on their cells by special units.

The report states that detainees continue to suffer from poor-quality meals that are insufficient in quantity and lack essential nutrients such as salt and sugar. In a recent escalation, the prison’s Metzada unit stormed several sections, confiscated prisoners’ mattresses, and imposed collective punishments.

Recreational time is frequently denied without justification, and when granted, it is limited to only 30 minutes at 6:00 AM. Additionally, prisoners are struggling with severe shortages of clothing and personal necessities.

The Commission’s lawyer documented several individual cases during the visit:

Qutaiba Samour, an administrative detainee from Tulkarm, held in Section 19, Room 8, has been suffering from persistent skin irritation for over a month. Despite repeated requests for medical tests, the prison administration has failed to respond.

Abdullah Mohammad Saleh Manasrah, 18, from Jenin, held in Section 11, Room 15, suffers from dental pain and skin allergies. He is in need of medical ointments and thorough examination, yet his pleas have gone unanswered.

Sharaf Al-Din Adel Mohammad Abu Dayya, an administrative detainee from Halhul, held in Section 25, Room 14, suffers from vision problems that began prior to his arrest. He has requested proper medical evaluation, which has been repeatedly denied.

Mohammad Mahmoud Issa, from Bethlehem, held in Section 16, Room 12, is experiencing multiple health issues including ear infections, fungal conditions in his feet, and stomach complications. He stated that these problems developed after his detention and has filed multiple requests for treatment, all of which have been ignored by the prison administration.

The Commission condemned the ongoing violations and urged immediate international intervention to ensure the protection of detainees’ basic rights and access to necessary medical care.

Jailers in Damoun Prison intends to provoke female detainees

Detainee Faraj Ayyad Ibrahim

Commission of Detainees’ Affairs: Gilboa Prison inmates endure escalating brutality and repeated raids

May 4, 2025

The Commission of Detainees’ Affairs reported today, Sunday, through its legal representative, that conditions inside Israel’s Gilboa Prison have become increasingly inhumane. The prison administration has been intensifying its crackdown on inmates, regularly storming their cells, beating them savagely, and subjecting them to violent assaults. Numerous inmates have sustained serious injuries, including fractured ribs, impaired vision and hearing, and severe abdominal pain resulting from repeated blows to the head, eyes, and abdomen.

On April 21, 2025, special units, accompanied by aggressive police dogs, raided several cells, mauling inmates with claws and leaving deep wounds and lacerations. A subsequent assault took place on April 28, when forces stormed Room 16 in Section 5 and brutally beat eight detainees in what was described as a frenzied attack.

The Commission’s lawyer further revealed that scabies is spreading rapidly among the prison population, yet no medical treatment is being provided. Some inmates are suffering from painful skin infections, and many are being further punished by being denied access to the prison yard and daily recreation.

Particular concern was raised regarding the health of Ibrahim Al-Ramadi, 23, from Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem. Al-Ramadi has long suffered from chronic migraines and a congenital heart condition involving fluid around the heart. Despite his urgent need for specialized medication, he has received no treatment since his arrest. He also had scabies several months ago, and his condition continues to worsen.

Another detainee , Nasser Ba’ara, 29, from Nablus, is reportedly suffering from broken ribs and extensive bruising across his body as a result of the beatings he endured during the latest crackdown.

• World Press Freedom Day: Israel Has Carried Out at Least 180 Arrests of Palestinian Journalists Since Start of Gaza Genocide

Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, & Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association

Ramallah, Palestine - Israeli occupation forces have carried out at least 180 arrests among Palestinian journalists both in the West Bank and Gaza since the start of the genocide in October 2023, Palestinian prisoner defense groups said on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day marked annually on May 3.

Among the 180 arrests, 49 Palestinian journalists who were detained after the genocide began remain behind bars, in addition to six others who were arrested beforehand.

This period has been the deadliest in the history of Palestinian journalism. The Israeli occupation targets Palestinian journalists in a systematic policy of killings and arrests. According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, more than 200 journalists have been killed since the start of the genocide.

The targeting of Palestinian journalists—whether through assassinations or arrests—has historically been one of the main policies employed by the occupation, and it has escalated to an unprecedented level since the genocide began. The attacks on journalists have marked a critical and painful chapter in the history of Palestinian journalism, especially in Gaza. The occupation has not only targeted them while doing their journalistic work but has also systematically targeted their families. Many journalists and their families have been killed during the genocide as part of the occupation's retaliatory efforts. Families have been turned into targets and tools of intimidation and revenge in a continuous attempt to silence journalists and assassinate the truth and details of the genocide in Gaza.

Prisoner groups noted that the occupation continues to forcibly disappear Palestinian journalists Nidal Al-Wahidi and Haitham Abdel Wahid who were abducted from Gaza. Since October 7, the occupation has refused to reveal their fate - whether they are alive or not - despite efforts by numerous human rights organizations and ongoing demands for information. It is known that the occupation employed enforced disappearance broadly against detainees from Gaza. This persisted until certain legal amendments allowed the disclosure of detainees’ whereabouts in prisons and camps, but the practice has not stopped — with many detainees from Gaza remain forcibly disappeared.

Among the 49 detained journalists, 19 are being held under the so-called “administrative detention” policy without trial or charge. This policy has affected thousands of Palestinians in an ongoing attempt to impose greater control and censorship, depriving them of their right to freedom of opinion and expression, and preventing them from exposing the occupation’s crimes that permeate every aspect of Palestinian life. Many journalists have been subject to administrative detention — some have been released, while others remain imprisoned. One such case is journalist Nidal Abu Aker from Bethlehem, who has spent nearly 20 years in occupation prisons, most of it under administrative detention.

The occupation has transformed social media platforms and journalistic work from tools of free expression into tools of repression and pretexts for arrest, under the guise of so-called “incitement.” The occupation deliberately crafted vague definitions of “incitement and sympathy” without clear parameters, enabling it to use them as weapons against journalists in particular, and Palestinians in general, to imprison them on a mass scale.

Detained journalists face all the violations endured by other prisoners, including systematic torture, severe beatings, starvation, medical neglect, and continuous humiliation and abuse. They are held under harsh and degrading detention conditions and are continuously deprived of their rights.

Prisoner institutions renew their demands for the immediate release of detained journalists in Israeli prisons and for the disclosure of the fate of Gaza’s disappeared journalists. They also call on the United Nations and all international bodies to assume their responsibilities regarding the crimes committed by the occupation against detainees, and to move beyond merely issuing reports and statements by ending the systematic inaction in the face of the ongoing genocide and aggression.

Minor detainee Mahmoud Nimer Al -Ali