'Israel' poisons Palestinian detainees with spoiled meals

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Dec 2024 09:46
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Etzion, a temporary detention and investigation center, currently holds 111 Palestinian detainees, none of whom received medical treatment for the poisoning.

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Israeli soldiers detained blindfolded Palestinian men in a military truck on a road in the Zaytun district of the southern part of the Gaza Strip on November 19, 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

A significant number of Palestinian detainees in "Israel's" Etzion prison, located south of Beit Lahm in the southern West Bank, are suffering from severe food poisoning after consuming spoiled meals, according to a Palestinian prisoners' rights group.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that a lawyer from the Commission of Detainees' Affairs visited nine detainees on Sunday at the Etzion Detention Center, where they exhibited similar symptoms of poisoning after eating. "They had suffered poisoning after displaying similar symptoms following their meals," the society said.

This is not the first time such an incident has occurred at Etzion, as previous cases of food poisoning have been documented over the years.

Amani Sarahna, the media coordinator for the Palestinian Prisoners Society, said as quoted by Anadolu that Etzion is a temporary detention and investigation center, where detainees are later transferred to other facilities. The prison currently holds 111 detainees. She also pointed out that the poisoned detainees did not receive medical treatment.

The Commission of Detainees' Affairs confirmed that a large number of detainees under interrogation at Etzion had been poisoned by spoiled food provided by the prison administration. According to the commission, their lawyer reported that the detainees experienced severe symptoms such as "abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, facial yellowing, significant fluid loss, and an inability to stand" after eating the meals. Many detainees also fainted.

The commission accused the prison administration of "deliberately subjecting detainees to harsh punishment since the start of the [Israeli] assault on Gaza," which includes prolonged hunger, poor-quality meals in both quantity and quality, and severe beatings and solitary confinement for those who protest.

The commission called on international organizations to "intervene urgently to alleviate their suffering and ensure their protection in Israeli prisons."

'Israel' serves moldy, spoiled food for female Palestinian detainees

Specialized institutions focused on prisoner rights have lately raised the alarm about the severe mistreatment of female Palestinian detainees at "Israel's" Damon Prison, as reported by the Palestinian Information Centre.

The violations include strip searches, confinement in isolation cells without hijabs, and rooms monitored by CCTV round the clock.

Conditions have worsened, with detainees receiving moldy bread and spoiled hummus food. Recent figures show that 89 women are detained in Damon Prison, including four from Gaza, whose identities remain undisclosed.

Since the ongoing war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, more than 12,000 arrests have been made in the occupied West Bank, including dozens of Palestinian workers and thousands from Gaza, though the exact number of arrests from Gaza has not yet been fully documented.

It is worth noting that the fate of hundreds of detainees from Gaza remains unknown amid the policy of forced disappearance in camps controlled by the Israeli occupation forces.