
Photo : Activestills
The number of Palestinians in Israeli custody has doubled since October 7, reaching 10,000 detainees and prisoners. According to reports arriving from Israeli prisons and testimonies from recently released detainees, the Israel Prison Service is abusing Palestinians.
Abuses include disconnecting the power and water supply, confiscating possessions, restricting prisoners to their cells, preventing access to medical clinics, and severe physical violence. The IPS is also restricting visits by legal representatives and other officials.
The disconnecting of Palestinian prisoners from the outside world and the reports of abuse and violence are extremely concerning. In the last two days alone, two administrative detainees died in prison.
Omar Daraghmeh, a 56-year-old without underlying medical conditions, died in prison on October 11 – mere hours after telling his lawyer he felt well. Arafat Hamdan, a 25-year-old with diabetes, died in Ofer Prison on October 24, two days after his arrest.
We contacted several intl. bodies, including the ICRC, after our appeals to Israeli officials were ignored, urging them to pressure the IPS and other Israeli security bodies to adhere to the law and respect detainee rights. Concurrently, we also appealed to the High Court.
Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHRI)