DaysofPal — Human rights advocates and prisoner affairs specialists say Israeli measures against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons have intensified in recent weeks, warning that the situation inside detention facilities is deteriorating as international attention shifts to the expanding regional conflict.
Reports from Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups indicate that Israeli prison forces have carried out a series of raids on prison sections holding Palestinian detainees.
During these operations, special units allegedly used stun grenades, pepper spray, batons, and other forceful measures against unarmed prisoners.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, several detainees were injured during the raids, with some transferred to hospitals for treatment.
Observers say the escalation coincides with growing regional tensions, suggesting that Israeli forces are taking advantage of the global focus on broader military developments to impose stricter measures inside detention facilities.
Hilmi Al-Araj, director of the Hurriyat Center for Human Rights, said conditions inside Israeli prisons have significantly deteriorated since the outbreak of the October 7 attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza.
Speaking to Palestine Online, Al-Araj described the systematic policy involving physical assaults, daily harassment, torture, and deliberate deprivation of food.
He said prison authorities have also imposed sweeping isolation measures aimed at weakening Palestinian prisoners and breaking their resolve.
Al-Araj accused Israeli forces of treating detainees “with a discriminatory and dehumanizing mindset,” adding that raids on prison sections have become routine operations conducted day and night by heavily armed special units affiliated with the Israel Prison Service.
He also accused the Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of encouraging the crackdown, claiming the minister has on some occasions participated in prison raids.
According to Al-Araj, the measures form part of a broader policy endorsed by the Israeli government and implemented by security agencies and prison administrations.
Since the start of the Israeli war in Gaza, he said, Israeli occupation have imposed emergency conditions on Palestinian prisoners, including banning family visits and preventing the International Committee of the Red Cross from accessing detainees to monitor their conditions.
“These measures aim to isolate the prisoners’ movement from international oversight,” Al-Araj said, noting that restrictions have intensified amid rising military tensions between the Israeli occupation and Iran.
He added that at least 88 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody as a result of starvation policies, abuse, and medical negligence. According to him, the identities of those prisoners are known, while dozens of others are believed to have died but remain unidentified due to alleged enforced disappearance practices.
Al-Araj called on the international community, the United Nations secretary-general, and signatories to the Geneva Conventions to take urgent action to protect Palestinian prisoners and ensure compliance with international humanitarian law.
He also urged Palestinian institutions to continue pursuing legal and political efforts to hold those responsible accountable through international courts and human rights mechanisms.
Meanwhile, prisoner affairs specialist Abdullah Qandil said recent months have witnessed a “clear escalation” in violations inside Israeli prisons, pointing to statements by Israeli officials calling for harsher measures against Palestinian detainees.
Qandil said prison conditions have become increasingly harsh, particularly during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
He said Israeli occupation has imposed restrictions on collective prayers, tightened conditions for fasting prisoners, reduced food quantities, and limited access to prison clinics. Some detainees, he added, have reportedly faced punishment for observing the fast.
He warned that the Israeli occupation appears to be imposing a new regime inside prisons aimed at tightening full control over detainees and making prison conditions harsher than in previous years.
“Every passing day allows more negative changes to be imposed, deepening prisoners’ suffering and limiting their ability to resist inside the prisons,” Qandil said.
The Hamas movement also condemned the coordinated prison raids, describing the use of stun grenades, pepper spray, and batons against detainees as a war crime and part of the broader pattern of violations against Palestinian prisoners.
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