Hamas Demands International Action to Hold Occupation Accountable for Escalating Violations Against Prisoners

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) issued an urgent appeal to all nations and UN bodies, demanding immediate and effective steps to hold the Israeli occupation authorities accountable for their escalating systematic violations against Palestinian prisoners. In a statement, the movement warned of the serious repercussions of the intensified repressive measures adopted by the prison administration, emphasizing that these practices transcend all international and humanitarian laws and norms.\n\nInformed sources reported that the Israeli Prison Service has imposed new and humiliating restrictions in 'Ofer' Prison, directly targeting prisoners during their meetings with lawyers. These measures include reducing the duration of legal meetings to mere minutes, in addition to installing surveillance cameras inside the rooms designated for these meetings, in a move aimed at intimidating prisoners, isolating them from the outside world, and preventing them from conveying their suffering.\n\n"The movement attributed the occupation's persistence in these violations to the suspicious international silence regarding ongoing crimes, calling on global human rights organizations to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities. It also demanded urgent action to stop these transgressions, which aim to break the prisoners' will, stressing the importance of activating political and diplomatic pressure tools to isolate the Israeli entity in international forums.\n\nIn a related context, Palestinian human rights organizations warned of the rapid deterioration of health conditions inside prisons, due to the spread of infectious diseases and a policy of deliberate medical neglect. Reports indicated that prisoners suffer from severe malnutrition and systematic starvation, leading to visible signs of extreme emaciation on their bodies, amidst a complete lack of necessary medical care to address these escalating health crises.\n\nSources condemned the exposure of detainees, especially from the Gaza Strip, to horrific torture crimes and humiliating physical and psychological assaults since the events of October 7th. Human rights reports spoke of dozens of prisoners dying as a result of brutal torture and inhumane treatment in military detention centers, reflecting a clear retaliatory policy adopted by the Israeli security and military establishment against Palestinians.\n\nCurrent statistics indicate the presence of approximately 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons, including dozens of women and children who face harsh detention conditions. Reports confirm that these numbers live in an environment lacking the most basic necessities of life, where death threatens many of them due to continuous torture and deprivation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Fourth Geneva Convention concerning prisoners of war and detainees.\n\nIt is worth noting that the conditions of prisoners have witnessed an unprecedented decline since the far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir assumed the portfolio of National Security in the occupation government at the end of 2022. Ben-Gvir imposed a series of strict policies aimed at tightening restrictions on prisoners and stripping them of their historical gains, turning prisons into arenas for daily abuse and systematic assault under official political cover.\n\n"The humiliating measures to which prisoners are subjected in Ofer Prison necessitate urgent international action to isolate this occupation and pressure it to stop its crimes.