RAMALLAH, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), mMore than 9,400 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are marking Eid al-Adha under suffocating restrictions, dire conditions, and an unprecedented rise in abuse and deprivation.
The Palestine Center for Prisoner Studies said that, three years ago, Eid was a joyful occasion for detainees, when they wore their best clothes, decorated rooms with scraps of fabric and colored paper, and made sweets with limited means, an effort to spread happiness and affirm their resilience.
Since October 7, 2023, however, happy occasions have turned into tools of torture and mistreatment. This Eid is the sixth under the occupation government’s policy, which the Center described as aiming to kill prisoners both spiritually and physically.
Prisoners are receiving Eid deprived of family visits for nearly three years, with visits described as a “lifeline,” especially during holidays. The suspension of visits has caused severe shortages of clothing and blankets, as families used to bring these items along with food. The closure of prison canteens has worsened the lack of essentials.
The Center reported ongoing abuse campaigns: prisoners are shackled, thrown to the ground for hours, beaten, and sprayed with gas, without medical care for the injured. Mattresses and blankets are confiscated from morning until late at night.
Female prisoners also face systematic repression, including beatings, insults, gas attacks, and solitary confinement, alongside hunger policies, denial of visits, and overcrowded cells.
The Israeli prison service enforces starvation to weaken prisoners’ bodies and increase illness, while denying treatment and healthcare, turning minor conditions into serious diseases. Scabies has spread widely, infecting thousands; nearly a quarter of all prisoners are affected, with some suffering for months from boils, ulcers, and infections.
The Center renewed its call for international institutions to intervene to protect prisoners, ease their suffering, and curb Israeli violations, especially during holidays.
Israel continues to hold more than 9,400 prisoners in prisons and detention camps, including 86 women and 3,376 administrative detainees. The Israeli authorities also classify 1,283 prisoners as “unlawful combatants” under exceptional legal frameworks used to entrench arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of Palestinians.
