Unprecedented Deterioration: Tragic Conditions for Prisoners at "Ofer" Prison

SadaNews - The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported that conditions inside "Ofer" prison are experiencing a sharp and unprecedented deterioration, the worst since the beginning of the war on Gaza, amidst harsh living conditions and a noticeable collapse in the mental state of the prisoners.

This came after a visit by a lawyer from the commission to the prison, where she insisted on conducting the visit face-to-face instead of relying solely on video calls that the prison administration has used since the outbreak of the war.

She explained that she was able to visit five prisoners out of nine, with the intention to complete visiting the remaining ones later.

The lawyer conveyed shocking testimonies about the prisoners' conditions, confirming that most of them have not been able to bathe for over a month, due to the absence of hot water and the lack of basic supplies such as soap and towels. She also pointed to an increase in repression inside the prison, which occurs three times a week and includes storming the rooms accompanied by dogs, shouting, cursing, and forcing prisoners to kneel for long hours, with those who are unable being subjected to beatings.

She added that the prison administration resorts to throwing gas canisters in the yard, leading to cases of suffocation and loss of consciousness among the prisoners, in addition to their suffering from extreme exhaustion due to food shortages. Despite this, the prisoners clarified that what weighs heavily on them is not the lack of food as much as what they described as "a policy of humiliation and breaking dignity" that is practiced against them.

At the end of the visit, she called for urgent intervention to improve the conditions of the prisoners and ensure that they are treated in accordance with humanitarian standards.