DaysofPal – Palestinian prisoner Hassan Salama has exposed deteriorating conditions inside isolation at Israel’s Janot Prison, reporting frequent physical assaults, severe food shortages, and systemic medical neglect in a letter leaked from inside the facility.
The letter, published by his fiancée, Ghufran Zamel, offers a rare account from inside the prison’s isolation wing, where Salameh says detainees are subjected to frequent raids and deprived of adequate food and healthcare.
Salameh reported that prisoners held in solitary confinement have endured four violent raids and searches in less than ten days, during which they were beaten by prison authorities. He also said detainees were assaulted while being transferred from the isolation unit at Megiddo Prison to Janot Prison and again each time they were taken out to meet with their lawyers.
Hunger and Severe Restrictions
Salameh stated food rations in Janot’s isolation unit are significantly smaller than those previously provided at Megiddo Prison and are insufficient to meet prisoners’ basic nutritional needs, leaving them in a constant state of hunger.
He added that prisoners are permitted just one hour of outdoor time per cell each day, in a confined exercise area that receives no sunlight. According to the letter, prison authorities have drawn a line within the yard that prisoners are forbidden from crossing, further limiting their already restricted movement.
Salameh also said that communication between prisoners held in isolation has been completely cut off. Although he knows fellow Palestinian prisoners Bilal Barghouti, Muhannad Shreim, Jamal al-Hour, Marwan Barghouti, Mahmoud Attallah, and Abbas al-Sayyid are being held in the same prison, he said he has no means of contacting them or any other detainees.
Deteriorating Health
The prisoner said his health continues to deteriorate due to a lack of medical care. He wrote that he has suffered from persistent diarrhoea for more than a year without receiving treatment and now requires prescription glasses because he can no longer read the Qur’an clearly. He also said he has been waiting for an endoscopic examination that has yet to be carried out.
Salameh further reported suffering from untreated dental problems. When he sought medical assistance, he said the only option offered was the extraction of the affected tooth rather than treatment to save it.
The letter said that a doctor only came to the isolation wing once a month and just walked through the section, but never examined the prisoners medically.
Hassan Salameh, a native of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, has been imprisoned by Israel since 17 May 1996. He is serving 47 life sentences imposed by an Israeli court.
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