DayofPal– Freed Palestinian detainees, from the sixth swap batch under the current ceasefire deal, have come forward with harrowing testimonies of abuse and medical neglect inside Israeli occupation prisons, revealing a disturbing pattern of deliberate mistreatment, inhumane conditions, and outright disregard for human life.
One recently released detainee described a nightmare of suffering, saying that prison authorities intentionally contaminated food with viruses, leading to widespread illness.
“For six months, we endured boils, scabies, and severe skin diseases,” the former prisoner recounted. “We were crawling, unable to stand, yet they forced us to line up. The officers saw our suffering and mocked us, telling us to ‘go die.’”
The detainee identified Ofer Prison as the most horrifying facility, calling it a “graveyard of prisons” where amputations were reportedly performed on detainees without proper medical care. One such victim was Mahmoud Abu Taima, who had his fingers amputated, the detainee disclosed.
In November, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that nearly 25% of Palestinian detainees were afflicted with scabies due to unsanitary conditions and lack of medical intervention.
Human rights organizations, including Physicians for Human Rights and Adalah, filed a petition with Israel’s High Court, accusing the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) of failing to contain the outbreak.
Overcrowding and deteriorating conditions have exacerbated the crisis. With approximately 23,000 detainees held in facilities built for 14,500—exceeding capacity by 60%—prisoners are forced to live in squalor. Of these detainees, around 10,000 are Palestinians labeled as “security detainees.”
Murshid, another former detainee, painted a grim picture of daily life inside. “A cell meant for six held ten people, with some sleeping on the floor,” he said. The IPS allegedly ignored requests to isolate infected prisoners for two months, worsening the outbreak.
“When we begged for help, they told us, ‘You are terrorists and deserve to die.’”
Despite clear signs of severe illness, the prison administration provided only paracetamol for weeks. A dermatologist was only allowed to assess the situation four months after the outbreak began.
The health crisis has also impacted legal proceedings. Human rights groups presented evidence that military court hearings and legal consultations have been repeatedly canceled due to the outbreak. The IPS acknowledged in court that the scabies epidemic caused delays but has taken minimal corrective action.
Under mounting pressure, the IPS claimed to have established a task force to distribute medication and sanitize clothing. However, rights organizations argue that these measures are too little, too late.
Detainees continue to suffer from inadequate access to clean clothes, proper medical care, and essential hygiene resources.
As international scrutiny grows, calls for accountability are intensifying. The testimonies of freed detainees paint a damning picture of systematic neglect and abuse, raising urgent concerns over the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention facilities.
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