DaysofPal- Palestinian female prisoners continue to endure harsh conditions in Israeli detention centers, with their suffering intensifying during the holy month of Ramadan. They spend days of fasting separated from their families and children, living in environments that lack basic human necessities.
While families gather for Iftar, dozens of mothers remain behind bars, facing ongoing punitive measures and administrative restrictions that turn the holy month into another period of daily pain and deprivation.
Neglect in Food and Medical Care
Hassan Abed Rabbo, advisor to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Freed Prisoners, stated that approximately 70 female prisoners, including 24 mothers, are held in Damon Prison during Ramadan. Their families mark the month with an empty chair and a painful absence that weighs heavily on daily life.
Abed Rabbo noted that most prisoners are detained on charges related to “incitement,” including journalists, university students, and minors. Authorities continue to block family visits and impose strict limitations on lawyers, using the ongoing state of emergency to enforce isolation and human rights violations.
He highlighted the case of 10-year-old Ilyaa Malitat, who is spending Ramadan this year without her administratively detained parents. She receives news about them only through lawyers instead of sharing the Iftar meal with them, illustrating the depth of pain experienced by prisoners’ families.
Based on testimonies from released female prisoners, Abed Rabbo said prison administrations deliberately prevent detainees from knowing the start of Ramadan by restricting access to calendars or other timing aids, forcing them to rely on guesswork to observe fasting hours. Meals are served cold and all at once, with Iftar and Suhoor provided together. The food consists of watery soup, unclean water, insufficient quantities, and spoiled vegetables.
Prisoners receive only three spoonfuls of rice, an overcooked boiled egg, and six pieces of bread daily. Any objection to the poor quality of food may lead to additional punishments, including deprivation of meals.
Female prisoners with chronic illnesses face severe medical neglect. Medications are often limited to a single type for various conditions, without proper diagnosis or follow-up, creating a direct threat to their lives.
Abed Rabbo emphasized that these conditions constitute a flagrant violation of international laws and conventions. He urged human rights and humanitarian organizations to act urgently to halt these practices and ensure basic human rights for female prisoners.
Systematic Humiliation and Urgent Humanitarian Concerns
Former head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Freed Prisoners, Qadura Fares, confirmed that Palestinian female prisoners live under unprecedented humanitarian hardships in Israeli prisons. He described the situation as part of a continuous crisis affecting Palestinian detainees since the latest escalation.
Fares said the prisoners face systematic policies of restriction, humiliation, and isolation designed to break their will and undermine their dignity. Prison authorities tighten controls on food, medical care, and communication with families. Living conditions in women’s sections lack basic necessities, with overcrowded rooms, inadequate ventilation, and no privacy, worsening both physical and mental suffering.
Female prisoners with medical conditions suffer from deliberate neglect, postponed examinations, and delayed treatments. Some health cases have deteriorated due to intentional delays in care.
Prison authorities also apply collective punishments, including sudden inspections, confiscation of personal belongings, fines, and reduced yard time, creating a constant cycle of pressure in daily life.
Fares stressed that the suffering of prisoners is inseparable from that of their families, particularly mothers deprived of holding their children and children growing up away from their mothers, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian toll. He described the prison practices as part of an Israeli policy targeting the moral and national structure of Palestinian detainees, aimed at enforcing collective punishment and revenge.
He called on international human rights organizations to intervene immediately, provide genuine monitoring of prison conditions, and ensure prisoners receive the minimum rights guaranteed by international laws and conventions.
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