Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al-Qassam Brigades: We will hand over the body of one of the occupation prisoners that was exhumed today in the Gaza Strip at 9 pm Gaza time.
Al Mayadeen correspondent to southern Lebanon: One martyr and one wounded in the initial toll of an Israeli drone strike targeting the town of Al-Bayyad.
Local sources report that a car bomb explosion has targeted the General Security headquarters near the Baniyas Court in the Tartous countryside, western Syria
Israeli artillery strikes target Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian media: IOF arrest leader Jamal al-Tawil, who was liberated as part of the prisoner exchange, from his home in al-Bireh.
Palestinian media: 'Israel' launches two airstrikes on eastern Khan Younis, Gaza.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Gaza: Israeli occupation forces carry out demolitions in eastern Gaza City.
Venezuelan Foreign Ministry: The National Armed Forces will remain on alert and mobilized in the face of this extremely dangerous provocation.
Venezuelan Foreign Ministry: This is not a defense exercise, but rather a military aggression aimed at turning the Caribbean into a space for violence and US hegemony.
Venezuelan Foreign Ministry: The government of Trinidad and Tobago has surrendered the country's sovereignty to act as a military colony serving US interests.

'We scratch until we bleed': Scabies consumes Palestinian detainees

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Israeli media
  • 29 Jul 2025 14:58
4 Min Read

Palestinian detainees face starvation, abuse, and untreated scabies in overcrowded Israeli prisons, as rights groups warn of collapsing health conditions and systemic neglect.

Listen
  • x
  • 'We scratch until we bleed': Scabies consumes Palestinian detainees
    Blindfolded Palestinians abducted from the Gaza Strip in the Sde Teiman military base. (Breaking The Silence via AP)

Ameenah Qumber, an attorney with the human rights organization HaMoked, is a frequent visitor to Israeli prisons, where she monitors the conditions of Palestinian detainees from Gaza and the West Bank.

Qumber describes prison conditions as “difficult", noting that the facilities are currently grappling with a second wave of scabies infections that began in April.

Scabies, a contagious skin disease caused by microscopic mites burrowing into the skin, leads to severe itching, particularly at night, and rash outbreaks. Once nearly nonexistent in Israeli and Palestinian detention centers, the condition has surged in recent years, especially within the security wings of prisons.

'Prisoners scratch until bleeding '

The current population of Israeli prisons is more than double the number held before October 7, 2023. Qumber shared firsthand accounts from Palestinian detainees, revealing that many suffered from scabies yet faced delayed or inadequate treatment. “Prisoners I met recently reported infections but were denied clinic visits for months,” she said. “Eventually, they received only a single dose of acetaminophen and ointment over months.”

Rights groups highlight that scabies outbreaks were virtually unknown in Israeli prisons before October 2023. The infestation signals worsening prison conditions, exacerbated by overcrowding amid the surge in Palestinian arrests.

Physicians for Human Rights–Israel and HaMoked began documenting cases late in 2024, petitioning the High Court for urgent medical intervention. Qumber describes the physical toll: “Scabies lesions cover the body, arms, legs, stomach, and back. Itching is intense; prisoners scratch until bleeding, losing sleep. Even healing leaves scars resembling burns.”

'Summer clothes were handed down from infected prisoners'

Mohammed Abu Mukh, detained at Ketziot Prison, recounted enduring scabies with minimal medical care. “My examination was superficial; once a dentist checked me, despite no relevance,” he said. Poor hygiene worsens conditions, especially since there are "no washing machines, blankets aren’t cleaned, and summer clothes were handed down from infected prisoners.”

Related News

'Israel' lifts emergency order for Gaza periphery settlements

Gaza MoH: Israeli violations of ceasefire leave more martyred

Despite official claims by the Israeli Prison System (IPS) that the outbreak is “under control", data tell a different story. While only 49 cases were reported in Ketziot in early 2025, by May alone, 2,500 cases emerged, with nearly 3,000 infections recorded at the outbreak’s peak in June. As of early July, numbers remained high.

Adi Lustigman, an attorney representing Physicians for Human Rights, accused "Israel" of downplaying realities in court and neglecting inmate welfare.

The IPS alleged it coordinates with the Health Ministry to combat scabies, implementing isolation, treatment, and hygiene protocols.

Inhumane conditions 

Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has dictated harsher penalties for Palestinian detainees. Before the war, he closed prison bakeries to eliminate “privileges for terrorists,” increasing prison costs as bread was bought externally. After the Israeli genocide on Gaza began, he declared a “state of emergency” in prisons, cutting living space per inmate and rolling back prisoner rights through emergency legislation.

Testimonies report cells housing 14 to 16 inmates, nearly triple the prewar average, leading to overcrowding that promotes disease spread. Lustigman warns conditions now fall “below human dignity.”

Ben-Gvir has defended reduced food rations despite High Court challenges, dismissing prior standards as “the era of feasts” and vowing to keep “terrorists’ prison cells” from becoming “hotels.”

Palestinians shackled in cages

The IPS currently holds approximately 24,000 Palestinians. The rising detainee count stems from sweeping Israeli military arrest operations across the West Bank and Gaza.

To accommodate overcrowding, "Israel" has expanded the use of notorious detention camps under Israeli occupation forces. Some Palestinians abducted from Gaza remain in such sites, like the Sde Teiman base, where Qumber recently reported dire conditions, limited showers, shared soap among many inmates, filthy mattresses, and no isolation for those infected.

Testimonies reveal detainees shackled in cages, physical abuse by soldiers, and ongoing mistreatment despite court interventions, transferring many to IPS custody.

Food shortages compound suffering. Testimonies include severe hunger, drastic weight loss, and inadequate meals consisting of tiny portions shared among entire cells. Some detainees resorted to eating toothpaste to manage medical conditions like diabetes.

Qumber emphasizes the root causes: “Scabies spreads due to violations of basic hygiene, lack of showers, soap, shampoo, and clean clothes, and insufficient food.”

Lustigman concludes, “The government is legally obligated to ensure minimum living standards. Disease outbreaks cannot be justified; they violate law and human dignity.”

  • Palestine
  • torture
  • abuse
  • Israeli occupation
  • Scabies outbreak
  • Palestinian detainees

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • Today

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Sheikh Naim Qassem speaks during an interview with Al-Manar TV, October 26, 2025 (Screenshot)
Politics

Hezbollah ready to face 'Israel' in case of war: Sheikh Naim Qassem

A Russian cargo train arrives at Astara Railway Wharf, March 2018 (IRNA)
Economy

Tehran, Moscow to finalize INSTC rail project next month

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf addresses the media after submitting his candidacy for the Islamic Republic's upcoming presidential election in Tehran on June 3, 2024 (AP)
Politics

UNSCR 2231 termination marks major win for Iran’s diplomacy: Qalibaf

ap
Politics

'Israel' killed 40 Palestinian children in West Bank since January: UN

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS