Palestinian female prisoners in Damon face mounting Israeli abuse
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Israeli occupation forces escalate abuse against Palestinian female prisoners in Damon prison, slashing food, isolating detainees, and violating international law.
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Palestinian citizens of Israel march in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and those held in Israeli jails, in Umm Al-Fahm, occupied Palestine, Saturday, August 3, 2024 (AP)
Palestinian female prisoners are enduring increasingly harsh conditions in the Israeli occupation’s Damon prison, according to a statement by the Palestinian Prisoners' Media Office, which warns of a severe and unprecedented escalation by the prison administration.
Israeli prison authorities have reportedly slashed the daily recreation time to just 15 minutes, which is now solely designated for bathroom use. The rest of the time, the section remains locked down for hours under the pretext of “security procedures.” In parallel, food rations have been significantly reduced, further worsening the humanitarian conditions.
The report also detailed a brutal crackdown at the onset of the Israeli occupation’s aggression against Iran, in which five Palestinian detainees, Islam Shouli, Tasneem Odeh, Lin Misk, Samah Hijjawi, and Fatima Jasrawi, were violently assaulted, subjected to isolation, spat on, verbally abused, and even threatened with rape.
Grave violations against vulnerable detainees
Pregnant women and cancer patients are reportedly being held in the same overcrowded room, while underage detainees are confined to a separate room under constant CCTV surveillance.
The Israeli prison administration continues to deploy tear gas and police dogs as part of its punitive tactics. Access to communal toilets or shower areas is now restricted entirely, except during food delivery, whereas they were previously open until 4 PM before the war on Gaza intensified.
Female guards are reportedly monitoring food distribution with growing hostility, while prisoners are forced to kneel during room transfers following the use of stun grenades. Personal belongings, including shampoo, soap, and tissues, have been confiscated during aggressive room inspections, as was the case in a recent raid involving three prisoner rooms.
Rights groups condemn violations
The Palestinian Prisoners' Media Office described these conditions as a "blatant violation of all international conventions and a dangerous escalation in the systematic abuse of female prisoners."
The organization has urgently called for immediate international intervention to halt the Israeli occupation's abuses and ensure the protection of Palestinian women in detention.
Palestinians suffer from negligence in Israeli prisons
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 in May.
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.
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.
