The Commission of Prisoners' Affairs and Liberated Prisoners said that the policy of deliberate medical neglect against injured and sick detainees in the occupation's prisons has worsened after the start of the aggression against our people on October 7, 2023.

The Authority explained in a statement issued on Tuesday that the prison administration uses medical negligence as a weapon of revenge against our detainees, by depriving them of medical care and treatment, even those who suffer from chronic diseases and serious injuries that could lead to their death, in addition to what they are exposed to in terms of beatings and abuse without taking into account the sensitivity of their situation, which has led to the martyrdom of a number of them, and this is likely to increase with the continuation of Israeli violations during detention and inside prisons.

In this context, the Authority’s lawyers visited several prisons and inspected the conditions of sick detainees, and the medical neglect, malnutrition, and physical violence they face, which negatively affected their bodies, which lost a lot of weight and became emaciated and unable to resist diseases.

The detainee Hussam Zahdi Zahayqa “Shaheen” (52 years old) from the town of Al-Sawahra/Jerusalem, was suddenly transferred to the hospital and underwent surgery as a result of the severe inflammation that affected his feet, due to the disease of sciatica, and the neglect of his treatment for a period of more than two months, which led to him losing the ability to stand, so he moved around in a wheelchair.

The detainee said: “On 9/30/2024, during the session, the prison guard asked me to stand up, but I told him that I couldn’t because of the severe pain in my foot. He attacked me and stepped on the inflamed area with his military boot. A few days later, I was subjected to another attack, which worsened the situation, leading to a significant deterioration in my health. I was then transferred to the prison clinic, and they transferred me directly to surgery to clean the inflammation, without giving me anesthesia. I suffered greatly as a result of the deadly pain I felt.”

Shaheen adds: "One month in detention after the war on the Gaza Strip is equivalent to 20 years in detention."

It is worth noting that the detainee is being held in Nafha Prison, and was arrested on 01/28/2004, and was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

As for the detainee Muhammad Abu Adi (50 years old) from Ramallah, who is in the Negev prison, his health condition is very difficult, as he suffers from a number of diseases (diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, hernia, stomach ulcers, and scabies), in addition to being beaten at the beginning of his detention, which led to fractures in his spine and ribs, in addition to severe and rapid weight loss due to malnutrition.

It is noteworthy that he was arrested on 10/20/2023, and a 6-month administrative prison sentence was issued against him, which was renewed twice, and he is expected to be released on 12/19/2024. He is married and has 5 children.

Regarding the detainee Jawad Ishtiya (50 years old) from Nablus, the Commission’s lawyer noticed during his visit that he could barely see and was able to reach the room with great difficulty, and with the help of another detainee, as he suffers from severe visual impairment and can only see a few centimeters in front of him, and this poses a great danger to his life.

It is worth noting that Shtayyeh was sentenced to 30 years in prison, and was arrested in 2003. He holds a master’s degree in Israeli affairs.

Among the difficult cases is the case of the detainee A.S. (72 years old) from the city of Jenin, who is being held in the Negev prison, and who suffers from partial memory loss, a vision problem, and a urine bag permanently attached to his body to relieve himself. His condition has deteriorated significantly recently after he was diagnosed with scaphoid fever.

In another statement, the Prisoners Authority said, “94 female prisoners in Al-Damon prison are tasting the bitterness of Colocynth, and according to their testimony, their rooms are subjected to arbitrary searches on a daily basis at dawn, where the administration storms the section, chooses one or two rooms, takes them out of them, and detains them for an hour or more during the break.”

She added: "This includes the female prison guards strip-searching them, in addition to confiscating their simple belongings, such as an empty plastic box that they use instead of cups, and the confiscation of threads that they pulled from blankets to use to make bracelets for entertainment during the long hours of the day inside the rooms."

She explained that even repairing their torn clothes, which they have no other clothes, has become impossible after the confiscation of the last needle they own, as each prisoner has only one change of summer clothes and the prison administration refuses to give them warm or extra clothes. Also, each one of them has one towel that turns into half a towel if a new prisoner enters the prison, as one of them shares her towel with the new prisoner because the prison administration does not provide her with a new towel. They are forced to borrow shoes from each other when they go out for a break, the clinic, or to visit the lawyer, as a result of the confiscation of their shoes by the prison guards in unjustified retaliatory measures.

The Commission reported that the Damon prisoners suffer from a severe shortage of personal and room cleaning materials, and a shortage of blankets, coinciding with the drop in temperatures with the onset of winter, as they suffer from the onset of a severe cold wave at night and early in the morning, which causes them to contract many diseases.

The Commission added in its statement that the administration of Al-Damon Prison deliberately installed lighting switches outside the prisoners’ rooms two weeks ago and cancelled the internal switches to allow the prison guards to control the lighting times according to their mood.

The Commission’s lawyer reported, quoting the female prisoners who were visited, that the starvation policy pursued by the prison administration against them has led to hormonal changes and side effects in their bodies for months.