DaysofPal- Israeli prison forces have blocked the delivery of hundreds of solidarity postcards sent to Palestinian female prisoners, which rights groups describe as a systematic policy to isolate detainees and sever their contact with the outside world.
The postcards were part of an international campaign led by churches and an Islamic center across 15 U.S. states, in partnership with the organization “Friends of Sabeel – North America.”
More than 1,000 postcards carrying messages of solidarity, prayer, and protest were sent to detainees at Israeli Damon Prison, but all were prevented from reaching their intended recipients.
Israeli forces have banned all forms of communication with female prisoners, including support messages, as part of a policy aimed at keeping them in complete isolation and preventing them from knowing anything about the outside world.
The campaign was launched at the start of the Lenten season in an attempt to spotlight the conditions of Palestinian female prisoners and break the silence imposed on their lives inside Israeli prisons.
Recent human rights reports, including one by B’Tselem titled “A Living Hell” and another by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese titled “Torture and Genocide,” reveal widespread practices of torture and mistreatment against Palestinian prisoners, including beatings, sexual violence, strip searches, prolonged restraint, and food deprivation.
The reports also document the use of tear gas, solitary confinement, nighttime raids with dogs, and restrictions on religious practices, clear violations of international law and the Geneva Conventions.
Prisoners are also denied regular religious worship, with collective prayer banned, clergy visits restricted, and access to religious texts prohibited or severely limited.
According to official statistics, more than 80 Palestinian women are currently held in Israeli prisons, including doctors, students, and professionals. Some suffer from serious illnesses such as cancer without receiving adequate medical care.
Reports indicate that nearly half of the detainees are mothers. At the same time, many suffer from deteriorating health conditions due to malnutrition, with some experiencing menstrual cessation as a result of food deprivation.
Attorney Nadia Daka explains that female prisoners live in complete isolation, denied contact even with other inmates. They spend 24 hours in cells with no contact with the outside world and are deprived of their daily yard time.
Female prisoners are subjected to continuous camera surveillance amid severe shortages of medicine, healthcare, and basic hygiene products, including sanitary pads.
Restrictions also include a ban on family visits, even those organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as denial of access to media, books, and writing materials, deepening the isolation imposed on detainees.
Palestinian prisoners are subject exclusively to military courts, while Israeli settlers are tried in civilian courts, reflecting a dual legal system based on discrimination.
Arrests are carried out arbitrarily, with more than one-third of detainees held under administrative detention, without charges or trial, for periods renewable indefinitely, with conviction rates exceeding 99%.
At least 98 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons since October 7, 2023, as a result of torture, starvation, and violence, amid a widespread system of impunity.
The international campaign emphasizes that its goal goes beyond sending postcards to include pressing for the release of all Palestinian female prisoners, ensuring independent international bodies’ access to detention centers, stopping violations, and holding those responsible accountable.
The initiative affirms that international solidarity with Palestinian female detainees will continue, stressing that the message carried by each postcard is clear: “The whole world is watching, and we will continue to demand accountability until it is achieved.”
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