The Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs Commission said that disease, hunger, and medical neglect in Israeli prisons are ravaging detainees.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the organization explained that the policy of intensifying punishment and torture of sick prisoners in occupation prisons is gradually worsening and increasing in severity with the passage of time. The deliberate and systematic medical neglect of sick and elderly prisoners is a ghost that haunts them endlessly, exacerbating their physical and psychological pain exponentially, so that occupation prisons have become coffins, where those who enter are lost and those who survive are born.

The Commission revealed the health status of a number of prisoners, including:

Prisoner Hussein Abu Kuwaik from Ramallah (68 years old), married with 4 sons and 3 daughters, was arrested on 11/15/2023, and is held in Section 24 of the Negev Prison. He is an administrative detainee who has spent a total of 17 years in the occupation prisons, as he lost more than 60 kilograms of his weight, and suffers from inflammation in the knees and joints, as well as scaphoid disease, and he has not been provided with any treatment despite his repeated requests.

It is noteworthy that Abu Kuwaik was subjected to an assassination attempt during the Second Intifada, when his car was bombed, resulting in the martyrdom of his wife, son, and two daughters.

Prisoner Thaer Odeh from Balata Camp (40 years old) was arrested on 9/25/2024, and is currently in Section 8 of the Negev Prison. He suffered from scabies and was not treated until the disease reached its final stages, and the signs of the disease are still evident on his hands.

Awda said that detainees are constantly subjected to humiliation and insults, noting that the prison's overall conditions are poor and that there has been no improvement in detention conditions.

Prisoner Riyad Sawafta from Tubas (22 years old), was arrested on May 10, 2023. He is an administrative detainee in the Negev prison. He has been suffering from scabies for about 8 months, and the prison administration has not provided him with any treatment.

Prisoner Raed Adel Wadih Al-Ratrout from Nablus (39 years old) spent 18 years in occupation prisons, and is sentenced to 27 years in prison. He is held in Section 21 of the Negev Prison. He suffers from major dental problems and is not receiving any treatment despite the severity of his condition.

He says there has been no improvement in the quality or quantity of food provided to them.

Yahya Jamil Al-Khatib (36 years old), from the town of Beit Rima, northwest of Ramallah, was arrested on 2/22/2024. He is an administrative detainee and is being held in the Negev prison, where his detention has been extended 4 times so far. Two sick prisoners with scabies are being held in the room with him, and he is not providing them with any treatment. He indicated that they are suffering due to the lack of hygiene and bathing.

As for prisoner Suhaib Saeed Muhammad Kabha (30 years old) from the town of Ya'bad in the Jenin Governorate, he suffers from a constant headache and blurred vision, especially in his left eye, due to a head injury he sustained during an assault by the prison guards. He was also infected with the new "amoeba" virus a month ago, and as a result, he lost more than 50 kilograms of his weight.

Note that he was arrested on 11/22/2023 and was sentenced to 18 months of administrative imprisonment.

Prisoner Mahmoud Muhammad Allan (32 years old) from the town of Anata in the Jerusalem Governorate, complains of severe pain in the spine and an injury to his right hand, as a result of the prison guards’ severe beating of him in March 2024 while he was in Ramla prison. He requested treatment several times but to no avail. He is currently in the Negev prison. He was arrested on 11/27/2022 and was sentenced to 4 years in prison.

Prisoner Mohammed Maher Sarsour (23 years old) from the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah, suffers severe bruises all over his body as a result of the severe beating he was subjected to by prison guards about a week ago.

He said: "All prisoners in Section 28 of the Negev Prison are infected with amoeba and are suffering from diarrhea and vomiting."

It is noteworthy that Sarsour has been detained since 05/26/2024, and was sentenced to 6 months of administrative detention, which was extended for the second time, and he is scheduled to be released on 05/22/2025.