DayofPal — Prominent Palestinian detainee Hassan Salameh has revealed severe conditions inside Israeli solitary confinement, describing a system marked by repeated violence, prolonged isolation, and deliberate starvation.
In a message smuggled from the Janot solitary confinement section of an Israeli prison and released on Sunday by his fiancée, Ghufran Al-Zamel, Salameh described a campaign of relentless abuse aimed at breaking the morale of Palestinian prisoners.
According to Salameh, prisoners in Janot were subjected to four violent raids in less than ten days, during which Israeli prison forces carried out searches accompanied by severe beatings.
He said detainees were also assaulted during their transfer from the isolation wing of Megiddo Prison to Janot and again whenever they were moved for legal consultations.
Salameh said food rations in Janot have been drastically reduced, leaving prisoners in a constant state of hunger.
He described the meals as barely enough to sustain life, adding that deliberate food deprivation compounds the psychological suffering of solitary confinement, where detainees are also denied meaningful human contact, adequate medical care, and exposure to sunlight.
He characterized the conditions as “extremely harsh.” Prisoners are allowed only one hour of daily exercise in a small enclosed yard with no direct sunlight and are prohibited from crossing a designated line.
Communication between prisoners is completely forbidden, further deepening their isolation.
Salameh said he was only able to confirm that fellow detainees Bilal Barghouti, Muhannad Shreim, Jamal Al-Hour, Marwan Barghouti, Mahmoud Attallah, and Abbas Al-Sayed are being held in the same unit.
He noted that the ban on communication prevents prisoners from learning about the condition or whereabouts of others.
His testimony comes amid an intensified Israeli crackdown on Palestinian prisoners, with Human rights organizations have long documented physical abuse, prolonged solitary confinement, medical neglect, and administrative detention..
The groups said that such practices may amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment under international law.
Salameh’s account morrors the conditions faced by Palestinian detainees as military attacks continue in Gaza and Israeli raids and settlement expansion intensify across the occupied West Bank.
International human rights groups and solidarity movements have repeatedly called for independent investigations into Israel’s prison practices and urged accountability for violations of international humanitarian law.
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