Israel’s punitive measures trigger infectious diseases among Palestinian prisoners

The widespread outbreak of infectious diseases among Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli prisons is due to the punitive measures which have escalated since October 7, advocacy and political groups say.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said the spread of diseases among prisoners and the decision by Israeli authorities in "Ramon" and "Nafha" prisons to prevent lawyers from visiting inmates are serious signs of violations.

The repressive and criminal measures against all prisoners are considered war crimes, manifested in torture, slow execution, deliberate medical neglect, and starvation, it added. 

These are no less severe than the crimes committed by the Israeli war machine in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

These crimes are committed despite the fact that relevant international institutions have comprehensive reports on the dangerous conditions inside prisons across the occupied territories.

However, they have failed to take any action in accordance with their mandate to save the prisoners.

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These institutions bear significant responsibility for these crimes. Therefore, the Front calls on these institutions to stop their complicit policies and urgently intervene to end the suffering of the prisoners.

They can end the plight by sending international committees to inspect the prisons, document the crimes against the prisoners, and refer them to international courts, the statement read.  

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prisoners Society and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees in a joint report highlighted that the spread of scabies, a highly contagious skin disease, among the prisoners was exacerbated by depriving them of necessary cleaning materials, including those used for personal hygiene.

Additionally, the reduction in the amount of water available, the limited time allotted for prisoners to bathe, and the confiscation of clothing from prisoners have led to a situation where most inmates rely on a single change of clothes.

The report underscored the severe overcrowding in the cells and sections, resulting from the escalation of daily arrest campaigns.

Israeli forces have arrested more than 10,400 citizens from the West Bank, including al-Quds, since the beginning of the genocidal campaign of death and destruction in Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Rights advocates in recent months have repeatedly warned that record numbers of Palestinian prisoners are filling Israeli detention centers in light of the bloody onslaught on Gaza, stating that the inmates are subjected to “systemic abuse” and torture.

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