GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Pierre Krähenbühl, Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said that Israel has continued to prevent Red Cross teams from visiting Palestinian prisoners since October 7, 2023.
In a press statement on Sunday, Krähenbühl said the ICRC is working to intensify efforts to reach Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons, despite the restrictions imposed on its operations.
Meanwhile, an Israeli report has revealed that the conditions for Palestinian detainees have rapidly deteriorated since the start of the war on Gaza, with many prisoners suffering from severe hunger, according to an audit released by the Israeli Attorney General’s Office.
The Times of Israel reported on Sunday that the audit found significant weight loss and clear signs of malnutrition among the prisoners interviewed by the office’s representatives. Inspectors noted that some detainees had become dangerously thin.
The report highlighted that the worsening conditions coincided with a rise in the number of prisoners since the Israeli assault on Gaza began. Detainees are receiving meager food portions, suffering repeated physical abuse by guards, and are being held in unsanitary conditions that have led to the spread of diseases in overcrowded cells.
Since the outbreak of the genocidal war, Israel’s prison service issued directives to restrict or cancel regular activities. Palestinian prisoners have been barred from contacting their families or meeting with Red Cross representatives. They are allowed only one hour of daily outdoor time and are prohibited from keeping personal belongings such as books or family photos.
These restrictions apply to all “security prisoners,” including minors, without any regard for their health or humanitarian conditions.
Earlier on Sunday, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs warned of the critical health conditions of two Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, amid the ongoing deterioration of detention conditions and a policy of deliberate medical neglect.
In a statement, the Commission said that its lawyer visited two detainees: Faisal Sabaaneh (65), from the town of Qabatiya near Jenin, and Ali Abu Atiya, 29, from Ramallah in the central West Bank. Both are reportedly in severe health condition.
Sabaaneh has been held under administrative detention since October 25, 2023. He was transferred in early November from Nafha prison to the Ramla prison clinic after suffering a heart attack. According to the Commission, Sabaaneh began experiencing symptoms days prior and requested to be taken to the clinic, but his request was denied. He also reported being physically assaulted by a medic before receiving any medical tests.
He stated that the amount of food provided to him has been insufficient since his arrest, and the shortage has worsened in the last two months.
As for Ali Abu Atiya, the Commission reported he was arrested on November 4, 2023, from his workplace in Ramallah after being shot by an Israeli special forces unit, resulting in a broken leg. He was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in occupied Jerusalem, where he underwent two surgeries.
The Commission holds Israeli prison authorities fully responsible for the health deterioration of prisoners and demands immediate access to adequate medical care and an end to medical neglect and physical abuse that threaten their lives.
More than 9,300 Palestinian prisoners are currently held by Israel, including women and children. According to both local and Israeli human rights organizations, detainees face torture, abuse, malnutrition, and medical neglect, resulting in the death of dozens.
These violations are taking place amid escalating crimes against detainees and the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, which has killed over 70,000 people and injured more than 171,000, most of whom are women and children.
