The Israeli occupation’s Prison Service has decided to suspend all visits to prisoners at Ramon and Nafha prisons indefinitely, citing the need for a quarantine across all sections due to a significant scabies outbreak.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners Club issued a statement confirming that prison authorities had notified attorneys of the visit suspension following a major increase in scabies cases among inmates.
The statement revealed that the scabies outbreak has been severe in multiple prisons, particularly in Negev, Megiddo, Nafha, and Ramon. This spread is attributed to retaliatory measures imposed by the prison administration on the prisoners.
According to the organizations, the prison administration has turned the outbreak into a tool of torture and abuse by deliberately withholding treatment and failing to implement measures to contain the disease.
Many prisoners have reportedly appeared disfigured and covered in blood and sores due to severe itching when they were eventually able to attend visits, the statement added.
The commission and club emphasized that the prison administration’s policies and abusive practices are primarily responsible for the disease’s spread. They criticized the administration for its negligence and for transferring inmates with infectious diseases between sections, which has exacerbated the outbreak.
The statement also held the prison administration fully accountable for the welfare of the prisoners, noting that many of those affected are suffering from chronic and severe illnesses.
Since October 7 of last year, Israeli forces have conducted 11,000 arrests up until August 30, adding to the already dire conditions within the prison system.
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