The health condition of three detainees in the Israeli Gilboa prison has deteriorated due to deliberate medical neglect and the lack of necessary healthcare in the detention facility, the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission revealed on Monday.

Palestinians suffer from negligence in Israeli prisons

Munir Salama

In a statement released after its lawyers visited several detainees and prisoners, the commission reported that Munir Salama, a 25-year-old from the Jenin refugee camp who is still being held without trial, has been battling scabies for nearly four months.

Due to the prison’s failure to provide timely treatment, his condition has worsened, leading to severe boils covering his body.

Samer Qambe

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The statement also detailed the case of Samer Qambe (30), a detainee from Jenin who has not yet been sentenced, who has been suffering from intense pain in his left ear, which spread to his neck and left hand, causing temporary numbness.

Qambe had been using a medical arm brace, but a special prison unit raided his cell a day before his lawyer’s visit, assaulted him, and seized the brace, further deteriorating his health. Additionally, he suffers from severe toothaches.

Ibrahim Ramadi 

The statement also highlighted the case of Ibrahim Ramadi (32), a detainee from Sheikh Jarrah in occupied al-Quds, who has been suffering from scabies for nearly two months, with the condition now so advanced that rashes and boils have spread to his knees, compounded by worsening eczema on his hands due to unsanitary clothing.

Ramadi attributes this to the prison’s broken washing machine and restrictive laundry access, as inmates are only allowed a limited time in the yard, making proper cleaning impossible.

The statement noted that Ramadi also suffers from pericardial effusion (fluid around the heart), a condition he’s had since childhood, which requires specialized medication that prison authorities have failed to provide. Additionally, he endures chronic migraines and severe pain in his left hand tendons, all of which remain untreated.

Calls for action

The commission called on human rights and humanitarian organizations to intervene immediately to ensure these detainees receive the necessary medical treatment and to save their lives.

Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons face brutal conditions, ranging from brutal beatings to sexual assault and the denial of the most basic medical care, often leading to their deaths.

Israeli prison conditions kill Palestinian detainees

Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups confirmed on May 15 the deaths of three Gaza detainees in Israeli custody: Ayman Abdelhadi Qudeih, Bilal Talal Salama, and Mohammed Ismail al-Astal.

The organizations stated they had obtained direct confirmations from Israeli military authorities regarding the deaths of three Gaza detainees, while stressing that detainees from Gaza represent some of the most extreme cases of systematic abuse, enduring torture, deliberate starvation policies, calculated medical negligence, and documented sexual violence.

Systematic abuse of Palestinian detainees uncovered 

A March 30 investigation by The Independent has uncovered systematic abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody, including torture, sexual violence, medical neglect, and unlawful killings, with findings revealing a pattern of mistreatment documented across multiple detention facilities.

A leaked Israeli military indictment details five reservists torturing a Palestinian detainee through beatings, electric shocks, and sexual assault at a military base, injuries so severe that they caused a punctured lung, broken ribs, and required rectal surgery, despite the victim never facing any formal charges.