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
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa's motorcade comes under fire in Ecuador
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon: Israeli quadcopter drops two shells on cafe in Houla town in South Lebanon
Informed source to Al Mayadeen: SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi demands that al-Sharaa approve the establishment of an autonomous region similar to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Israeli media: Three drones launched from Yemen toward Eilat in span of 20 minutes.
Qatari Foreign Ministry: "Israel" should have already ceased fire under Trump plan for Gaza
Qatari Foreign Ministry: Release of Israeli captives will mark end of war in Gaza in accordance with Trump plan.
Israeli media: Security incident in Gaza Strip classified as serious results in six wounded soldiers so far, two critically injured.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli drone strike targets vehicle in Deir Ames, Tyre governorate.
Lebanese Ministry of Health: Final toll from airstrike on car in Zebdine, Nabatieh District: Two martyrs, four injured
Egyptian media: Indirect talks between Hamas and Israelis begin in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Palestinian detainees suffer under scabies outbreak in Israeli jails

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 27 Nov 2024 09:19
4 Min Read

Scabies, a contagious skin condition caused by mites that burrow under the skin to lay eggs, leads to rashes, severe irritation, and other complications.

Listen
  • x
  • Palestinian detainees suffering from Scabies outbreak in Israeli jails
    A photo released by CNN shows dozens of Palestinian detainees in the Israeli torture camp Sde Teiman where Israeli occupation forces commit grave crimes against Palestinians. (Social media)

A recent investigation has revealed that a quarter of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and detention centers have contracted scabies in recent months. 

The outbreak is attributed to poor sanitary conditions, insufficient ventilation, and a lack of basic necessities, stemming from systemic medical negligence by Israeli authorities.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on the findings, which stemmed from a petition filed by human rights organizations and included data from the Israeli occupation's Prison Service. According to the IPS, 2,874 prisoners have been infected with scabies over the past year, with 1,704 cases still active.

Scabies, a contagious skin condition caused by mites that burrow under the skin to lay eggs, leads to rashes, severe irritation, and other complications.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), a US-based rights organization, highlighted that detainees lack access to washing machines and sufficient clothing. “Current data reveals that 430 prisoners in Ramon and Nafha prisons are battling the condition, alongside 596 in Megiddo and 566 in the Ketziot prison facility. Additionally, dozens of cases have been reported in Ofer detention center and other detention centers," the group noted.

The IPS confirmed that the outbreak has disrupted the legal processes for affected detainees, with meetings between lawyers and detainees in Nafha and Ramon prisons postponed and court hearings canceled.

Palestinian detainees stress that their suffering is deliberate. “When we asked for treatment, they told us that we are terrorists and must die,” one Palestinian detainee said as quoted by Haaretz.

Ameena Altaweel, a researcher with the Palestine Center for Prisoner Studies, emphasized that Palestinian human rights organizations have long raised concerns about scabies outbreaks in Israeli detention facilities. She attributed the spread of the disease to overcrowding and highlighted that Israeli authorities deliberately exacerbate the situation by failing to isolate infected detainees and withholding treatment.

Related News

Netanyahu vows to end Hamas rule and retrieve captives

US spent $33 billion on post-Oct.7 genocide, wars, Brown Uni reports

Over 11,800 detained in West Bank since October 2023: Report

Palestinian detainee organizations released a detailed report, on Sunday, exposing the alarming scale of detainments and rights abuses carried out by Israeli forces in the West Bank and occupied al-Quds since October 7, 2023. The findings paint a harrowing picture of widespread detentions, violent repression, and systemic violations targeting Palestinians.

Since the onset of the war on Gaza, more than 11,800 Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank and occupied al-Quds. Among them are 435 women, including some from Gaza and areas occupied in 1948, and 775 children.

Journalists have also been heavily targeted, with 136 detainments reported. Of these, 59 journalists remain in detention, including six women and 32 Palestinians from Gaza.

While these figures are shocking, they exclude data from Gaza itself, where Israeli authorities have withheld detailed information. Reports estimate that around 4,500 Palestinians have been detained in Gaza during the same period.

Read more: Torture in Israeli prisons: Strapped to beds, stripped of clothes

Racist policies

The head of the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs Qaddura Fares has lately issued a statement criticizing the Israeli regime's recent decision to cancel the policy of administrative detention for Israeli settlers.

"Israel is a fascist racist state, established on hatred and organized crime, that threatens human and social values with its extremist policies. The world’s silence towards the killing and destruction of the Palestinian people, and the torture and abuse of its detainees will eventually find itself facing a regime of Zionist gangs that threatens the global and human stability," Fares said. 

Fares criticized Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz for removing the "symbolic restrictions" imposed on settlers through administrative detention.

This decision, justified under claims of protecting settlements from alleged Palestinian threats, was supported by fascist Israeli figures like Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who described it as a "correction of an injustice," and Deputy Abraham Boroun, who hailed it as an act of "support for settlers."

Read next: Shackled, starved: A look into the reality of Palestinian detainees

  • Palestine
  • israeli prisons
  • Israeli aggression
  • Israeli occupation
  • Scabies outbreak
  • Israeli medical negligence
  • Palestinian resistance
  • Palestinian detainees
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
In this May 20, 20201, photo Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, arrives in Baghdad, Iraq (AP)
Politics

US spent $33 billion on post-Oct.7 genocide, wars, Brown Uni reports

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a news conference to mark the seventh day of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP)
Politics

US troops face unpaid wages as government shutdown drags on

Mourners wave Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral of Hezbollah former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Sayyed Hashem Safieddine in the Sports City Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, February 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hezbollah voices support for Gaza, Resistance on October 7 anniversary

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas
Politics

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas

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