Prisoners' Club: Crimes of repression, starvation, and disease outbreaks escalate in occupation prisons

SadaNews - The Palestinian Prisoners' Club issued a new briefing today, Monday, outlining the results of a series of visits it conducted during the second half of August to occupation prisons: Gilboa, Negev, Megiddo, Ramla, and Ofer, which reflected the continued escalation of systematic crimes against prisoners, primarily the policies of starvation, repression, medical neglect, and the spread of diseases.

According to testimonies from the prisoners, the crime of starvation is still ongoing, as their daily meals are limited to small amounts of bread, vegetables, rice, and beans, along with small portions of processed meats, which has exacerbated their health complications.

In Gilboa prison, the administration continues to carry out weekly repression and searches, using police dogs and weapons, including the "electric prod," accompanied by physical and verbal assaults against the prisoners.

In Ofer prison, a widespread outbreak of "scabies" has been reported among the prisoners, including children, amidst a denial of treatment and mixing infected individuals with those who are not, worsening the spread of the disease and causing severe suffering, even leading to bleeding from excessive scratching.

In Megiddo prison, despite the provision of some limited treatments for scabies, the health situation of the prisoners continues to deteriorate, including prisoners suffering from chronic illnesses such as cancer, hypertension, and heart disease, who are not receiving the necessary treatment.

In Negev, prisoners reported that repression operations continue weekly, including incursions with dogs and the firing of rubber bullets, amid significant fears of a resurgence of "scabies" at the same rate that preceded the martyrdom of several prisoners months ago, especially with the ongoing deprivation of hygiene, ventilation, clothing, and treatment.

In the Ramla prison clinic, where 22 prisoners suffering from chronic diseases and serious injuries are held, the prison administration recently suppressed the sick prisoners and sprayed them with gas, resulting in the suffocation and fainting of several of them.

The Prisoners' Club indicated that the number of prisoners and detainees in occupation prisons reached around 10,800 as of early August, the highest number since 2000. Among them are 49 female prisoners, more than 450 children, and 3,613 administrative detainees, in addition to 2,378 classified as "unlawful combatants."

The Prisoners' Club renewed its call for international human rights organizations to uphold their responsibilities and take practical steps to hold the leaders of the occupation accountable for war crimes against the prisoners and the Palestinian people, and to impose sanctions on the occupation that would end the state of impunity it enjoys and stop the escalation of crimes inside the prisons.