RAMALLAH,(The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)The Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission revealed on Wednesday the worsening humanitarian and health conditions faced by Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, amid what it described as deliberate medical neglect and systematic abuse by the prison authorities.
In a press statement following a lawyer’s visit to the Negev desert prison, the commission said prisoners are suffering from the spread of skin diseases due to a lack of hygiene and cleaning supplies. Prison authorities, it added, intentionally deprive detainees of basic health necessities.
According to the statement, the food served to prisoners is poor in both quality and quantity, compounding their daily suffering and weakening their overall health.
The commission further warned that prisoners are enduring freezing temperatures without access to winter clothing or warm blankets. Many, it said, are forced to stay awake through long, cold nights, tormented by both the chill and the neglect.
In addition, the report noted that Israeli repression units continue to storm prisoners’ cells, assault them violently, and confiscate their personal belongings as part of a broader policy of intimidation and collective punishment. Despite serious health conditions among some detainees, the prison administration continues to deny them proper medical treatment.
The commission cautioned that the humanitarian situation in the Negev prison is deteriorating rapidly and called on international and human rights organizations to intervene immediately to halt these violations.
It held the Israeli occupation authority fully responsible for the prisoners’ physical and psychological well-being.
