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Palestinians recount abuse in Israeli prisons: The Washington Post

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Washington Post
29 Jul 2024 15:37
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Palestinians expose how violence, negligence, and deprivation are the fundamentals of the Israeli prison system.

Prisoners seen through barbed wires from an Israeli prison, November 9, 2018. (AFP)

"Israel" has committed international war crimes against Palestinians since 1948, an ongoing occurrence that was brought to light following the occupation's daily bombardment and genocidal acts on the Gaza Strip since October 7.

These ruthless and heinous actions are also prevalent in the Israeli prison system in the form of violence, negligence, and deprivation, ultimately violating the basic human rights of Palestinians through the subjugation of deadly abuse.

In a recent report by The Washington Post, accounts by 11 former Palestinian detainees, 6 lawyers, and autopsy reports depicted the horrific conditions of "Israel's" prison system. Essentially, the description of Palestinian deaths was detailed by eyewitnesses and corroborated by doctors from Physicians for Human Rights for "Israel" (PHRI), who claim at least 12 Palestinians from the West Bank and an undetermined number of Gazans have died in Israeli prisons since October 7.

“It’s a combination of individual sentiments that are very negative and violent, of backing of the policymakers and of lack of accountability,” Executive Director of the Public Committee Against Torture in "Israel" Tal Steiner, said, attributing Israeli prison guards' psychological and physical abuse to revenge for Hamas' Al-Aqsa Flood operation.

'Tora Bora'

Tora Bora is generally referred to as al-Qaeda's cave network in Afghanistan. However, in an Israeli prison, Tora Bora is a nickname given former Palestinian detainees referring to isolation rooms where Palestinian prisoners were held after they were subjected to deadly abuse by prison guards.

Abdulrahman Bahash, 23, was a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. He was arrested for involvement in an armed encounter with the occupation forces in the West Bank.

Bahash's death was caused by severe beatings from the guards back in December, according to two of his fellow inmates who chose to remain anonymous when sharing Bahash's story with the American news outlet.

One 28-year-old prisoner said that the guards would raid all cells and then handcuff inmates prior to their beating, which occurred twice a week during his incarceration, describing how "they used their batons, they kicked us … all over our bodies.”

After one of the severe beatings Bahash received, his prison mate said that the 23-year-old was given a simple painkiller when he sought medical attention. He then passed away three weeks later on January 1.

A post-mortem reported by PHRI doctor Daniel Soloman, who sat in on Bahash's autopsy, revealed he had "signs of traumatic injury to the right chest and left abdomen, causing multiple rib fractures and spleen injury, potentially the result of assault." As a result of those injuries, Bahash's potential cause of death was listed as septic shock and respiratory failure, while his official autopsy report results and body have been withheld from his family.

Bahash's story is similar to multiple other Palestinians who have and continue to bear witness to such violence, such as 33-year-old Abdul Rahman al-Maari whose autopsy report disclosed "“Bruises were seen over the left chest, with broken ribs and chest bone underneath. … External bruises were also seen on the back, buttocks, left arm and thigh, and right side of the head and neck" after he was kicked down 15 flights of metal stairs as punishment for talking back to the guards.

Refusal of medical attention and treatment

Despite causing severe physical and mental harm to Palestinian detainees, Israeli prison guards have also refused to allow them to seek medical attention and treatment.

Muhammed al-Sabbar's (21) story is different, since he passed away in prison on February 28 from Hirschsprung’s disease, a condition he had since childhood that causes severe, painful bowel blockage that requires a specific diet and medication.

Sabbar was denied medication, resulting in his stomach swelling in October, recounted his cellmate Atef Awawda, 53, highlighting that Sabbar discreetly received a single injection that month from a prison doctor who told him not to tell anyone.

“Mohammed’s death could have been avoided with stricter adherence to his medical needs,” PHRI'S Rosin said, detailing in a letter to his family how Sabbar's colon dilated and filled with large amounts of fecal matter.

'I ask that the hearing not end before they promise not to hit me'

Back in November, a Palestinian prisoner was beaten in front of a judge by an Israeli guard during an online hearing, according to the victim's lawyer and court records reviewed and cited by The Post.

The court records state that the background of the video was filled with cries from people being beaten, which stopped upon the judge's arrival at the hearing.

“My nose is broken,” said the defendant, whose name was redacted in court records, pleading, “I ask that the hearing not end before they promise not to hit me.”

Inhumane conditions in overcrowded prisons

9,700 Palestinians were detained in Israeli prisons in May, excluding Gazans, a record number according to the Palestinian prisoner rights organization Addameer. Approximately 3,380 of the detainees were held in the prisons without being indicted or tried.

Each prison cell is designed to cater to six prisoners. However, according to former inmates, around twelve people were held in the prison where they had to sleep on mattresses on the floor.

Aside from the issues of physical abuse and overcrowding, Israeli guards subjugated Palestinians to mental and environmental torture.

The Post reported that inmates shared their experiences of the guards removing window covering in the winter to expose them to the cold conditions, playing the occupation's national anthem at loud volumes, and further disturbing their sleep by keeping the lights on at night.

'It is Guantanamo'

Guantanamo is a symbol of injustice, lawlessness, and abuse in the realm of prisons due to its torturous and brutal treatment of its prisoners.

"It is Guantanamo," Muazzaz Obayat, 37, who was sexually assaulted by a prison guard with a broom said, following his release from Ktzi'ot last week.

Obayat was diagnosed with malnutrition and post-traumatic stress after receiving treatment from a clinic in Beit Jala, a town in the West Bank. In addition, medical practitioners said that the former detainee was not sure how old he or his five children were.

The once amateur bodybuilder, who spent nine months in prison for suspected ties to Hamas, lost 100 pounds (45 Kg) during his sentence, which was shown through his jutted cheekbones and sunken eye sockets as a result of the "policy of starvation."

Journalist Moath Amarneh, 37, who was imprisoned for six months in Megiddo for filming protests in the West Bank, recounted the small food rations that forced inmates to ration and share their three staple meals.

For breakfast, cellmates would share a plate of vegetables and yogurt, Amarneh said, highlighting that each inmate then received half a cup of rice and ration-sliced tomatoes and cabbages during lunch, where some days they would get beans or sausage. For the final meal of the day, the journalist said dinner was composed of an egg and some vegetables.

“It’s barely enough to survive,” lawyer Aya al-Haj Odeh said, sharing how some of her clients were given as little as three slices of bread a day or a few spoonfuls of rice, with limited access to drinking water.

Israeli officials deny mistreatment

"Israel's" aggression on Palestinians is a phenomenon that is being documented. Whether through social media or firsthand accounts, the occupation's brutal treatment of Palestinians is being exposed daily. However, despite the hard evidence, Israeli officials continue to deny their crimes against humanity.

“We are not aware of the claims you described, and as far as we know, no such events have occurred," "Israel's" prison service said in a statement when asked about the deceased prisoners held since October 7. "Nonetheless, prisoners and detainees have the right to file a complaint that will be fully examined and addressed by official authorities.”

“All prisoners are detained according to the law,” the statement continued, adding that “All basic rights required are fully applied by professionally trained prison guards.”