RAMALLAH, (PIC)
The Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said that Palestinian prisoners in the Negev prison face harsh conditions as winter approaches.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Commission explained that due to the prison’s location in the Negev Desert, southwest of Beersheba—a region characterized by extremely cold nights—the prison administration deliberately keeps detainees in very light summer clothing and deprives them of blankets and coverings to exacerbate their suffering.
The Commission confirmed that all the detainees they visited had contracted scabies and were not provided with any medical treatment or follow-up care. Some prisoners have reached advanced stages of the disease, and due to the spread of boils and inflammation, they are unable to eat or move without assistance from other inmates.
Recently, a team of the Commission managed to visit five prisoners in the Negev Prison who had contracted scabies to check on their health and detention conditions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines scabies as a parasitic infestation caused by tiny mites that burrow into the skin to lay eggs, resulting in intense itching and skin rash. If untreated, scabies can lead to skin ulcers and severe complications such as bloodstream infections (sepsis), heart disease, and kidney problems. The condition is treatable with topical creams or oral medications. Scabies mites are typically spread through direct skin-to-skin contact but can also be transmitted through shared clothing, towels, or bedding, according to the study “Scabies: Immunopathology and Pathological Changes” published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine in March 2024.
The Commission has previously documented dozens of testimonies from detainees in the Negev prison, highlighting a longstanding policy of medical neglect and starvation imposed by the prison administration. These policies have intensified since the genocidal war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023.
Under Articles 76, 85, 91, and 92 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, along with its First Additional Protocol, prisoners are entitled to regular medical care and necessary treatment for illnesses. These provisions mandate the establishment of health clinics and the presence of specialized physicians. A position paper titled “The Policy of Deliberate Medical Neglect Against Palestinian Prisoners and Detainees” published by the Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights in May 2019 emphasized that withholding treatment or essential medical care constitutes crimes such as premeditated murder (in cases where such denial leads to death), torture, inhumane treatment, or the infliction of severe mental or physical harm.
Since the onset of the war, Palestinian and international human rights organizations have reported worsening conditions in Israeli prisons, particularly in the notoriously harsh “Sde Teiman” facility. The number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons currently stands at 11,600, excluding detainees from Gaza held in Israeli military camps, according to human rights sources.
