RAMALLAH (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs stated on Monday that Palestinian female prisoners held in Damon Prison are suffering from extremely difficult and inhumane detention conditions.
Following a prison visit, the Commission’s attorney reported that the food is both poor in quality and quantity, leading to gastrointestinal illnesses among the women, all of whom have experienced significant weight loss.
In a press statement, the Commission highlighted the case of female prisoner Karam Mohammad Musa, 53, from the village of Surra in Nablus Governorate, who was arrested on 25 February 2025. She was held in a filthy, blood-stained cell with no space for prayer, no food, and only a single small mattress that she shared in turns with another detainee.
Musa noted that the food provided to her after the investigation caused severe constipation and was insufficient for the number of detainees in the room. The prison administration reportedly provides a single plate of legumes for eight prisoners, while recreation time (known as “fura”) has been reduced to one hour, during which the women must also bathe.
Another detainee, Haneen Mohammad Jaber, 44, from Nur Shams refugee camp, has lost eight kilograms during five months of detention due to malnutrition. Jaber was arrested on 3 December 2024 while on a picnic with her children, accused of sheltering and feeding her son, whom the Israeli authorities claim is “wanted”.
Female prisoner Fidaa Suhail Assaf, 49, from Kafr Laqif in Qalqilya Governorate stated that she had been suffering from leukemia for over a year before her arrest. Israeli forces raided her home on 24 February 2025, arresting her under allegations of incitement via social media. She is due to appear in court on 21 May.
The Commission’s lawyer also visited female detainee Shahd Majed Hassan, 23, from Ramallah, who has been in detention since 5 March 2025 and is serving a four-month administrative detention order.
Hassan recounted her repeated transfers between Ofer, Beit El, Hasharon, and finally Damon prisons, describing them as “a journey of torment.” She reported being kept in shackles the entire time and subjected to verbal abuse and insults throughout the transfers.
