Report: Escalating Health Catastrophe and Continued Systematic Crimes Against Prisoners

SadaNews - The Palestinian Prisoners Club issued a new briefing today, Tuesday, highlighting the key points from visits made by legal teams to prisoners in Israeli jails, which took place between the end of July 2025 and the beginning of this month, August.

The Prisoners Club reaffirmed in a statement that the Israeli prison system continues its criminal practices against prisoners and detainees. The visits revealed that the vast majority of those interviewed suffer from health problems, some of which are chronic and severe. Their testimonies indicated the continued spread of diseases, particularly scabies, which has infected thousands of prisoners and detainees in recent times and continues to do so, warning of an ongoing and worsening health catastrophe.

It clarified that the prison administration, in a systematic and planned manner, imposes conditions aimed at stripping the prisoner of their humanity and targeting their consciousness, in addition to causing them chronic illnesses that are difficult to treat later, leading them to a state of physical and psychological exhaustion, which could ultimately result in their martyrdom.

The current reality inside the prisons can be summarized in three main categories of crimes: torture, starvation, and deprivation of medical treatment, all of which reflect the level of ongoing criminality and brutality that has led to the martyrdom of 76 prisoners and detainees since the onset of the extermination, marking the bloodiest phase in the history of the prisoner movement.

The Prisoners Club indicated that all prisoners face the same violations, although the frequency of their implementation varies from time to time. For example, the "Gilboa" prison recently witnessed a significant escalation in repression, marked by brutal beatings, electric shocks, and the reduction of already minimal food supplies. One of the prisoners visited stated that "repression operations are repeated, averaging once a week, including beatings, electric shocks, and the use of police dogs, in addition to ongoing insults and humiliations."

The club pointed out that "Ofer" prison is currently witnessing an unprecedented and accelerating spread of scabies, despite previously being one of the least affected prisons.

All testimonies confirmed that the prison administration deliberately keeps infected prisoners alongside healthy ones, which contributes to the spread of infection. Additionally, all prisoners share the same blankets, dishes, and bathrooms, in the absence of hygiene, as 12 prisoners share one bottle of shampoo that is insufficient for three people, while the designated duration for a prisoner to shower is only one minute, and this is not allowed daily.

Moreover, prisoners are denied ventilation and sunlight, and "yard time" has been prohibited in some sections for over a month under the pretext of disease spread. The prisoners described the cells as having turned into "ovens" due to the rising temperatures, lack of ventilation, insufficient clothing, and severe overcrowding.

In the "Negev" and "Megiddo" prisons, which have previously witnessed torture and the martyrdom of prisoners, the spread of scabies and other yet undiagnosed diseases continues. In a statement from injured prisoner (M. S), he explained that he suffers from severe pain due to injuries to his foot and back sustained prior to his current arrest, which led to a slipped disc, as well as heart problems and high blood pressure. Despite his urgent need for regular daily medications, he does not receive the necessary treatment, exacerbating the danger to his life.

In the "Ramla Prison Clinic", at least 22 prisoners live under tragic conditions, including wounded individuals and kidney patients requiring regular dialysis, as well as others suffering from paralysis needing continuous care. Meanwhile, female prisoners in Damon Prison face similar conditions, including starvation, deprivation, systematic abuse, and repression operations accompanied by assaults, restraints, and strip searches, as well as extreme humidity and high temperatures, and the spread of insects.

In light of the continued crimes against prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons and camps, the Prisoners Club affirmed that these violations and crimes will continue as long as there is systematic international impotence before the extermination war and its accompanying crimes. The Prisoners Club renewed its call for the international human rights system to assume its responsibilities, warning of the exceptional case granted by international forces to the occupation, which constitutes a green light for further crimes.

● The total number of prisoners and detainees in Israeli occupation prisons as of the beginning of August 2025 is approximately (10,800) prisoners, noting that this figure does not include detainees held in camps affiliated with the occupation army. This number is the highest since the Al-Aqsa uprising in 2000, based on available documentation data from institutions.

● Female prisoners: the number stands at (49) as of today, including two prisoners from Gaza and two children.

● Children: as of today, their number exceeds (450) children.

● Administrative detainees: as of early July, the number reached (3,613) detainees, which is the highest rate compared to the number of detained and sentenced prisoners categorized as "illegal combatants".

● Detainees classified as "illegal combatants": their number reached (2,378) detainees. Note that this figure does not include all detainees from Gaza held in camps affiliated with the occupation army. This classification also includes Arab detainees from Lebanon and Syria.