RAMALLAH, (PIC)
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs revealed on Wednesday that the living and detention conditions of Palestinian female detainees in the Israeli Damon prison continue to deteriorate, a situation that has worsened since October 7, 2023, and can only be described as brutal, worsening day by day.
Following a visit by its lawyer to the prison, the Commission said that the administration of Damon prison still denies the female detainees blankets and winter clothing, despite the severe cold and the onset of winter, with each detainee having only one winter jacket. Additionally, they are prohibited from receiving hygiene and personal care supplies, as each detainee is allowed only a small bag of shampoo, which is insufficient.
The detainees who were visited by the Commission’s lawyer reported that the food is scarce and of poor quality, as they have been eating legumes for over seven months, which has led to constipation. Furthermore, the guards invade their rooms without regard for the privacy of the detainees in a barbaric manner, confiscating their personal belongings, and at times spraying gas inside the rooms, alongside imposing collective punishments without reason and hurling insults at them. The detainees added that recently the deputy director of Damon prison physically assaulted them.
The female detainees avoid going to the prison clinic despite their poor health conditions because the prison administration interrogates them instead of allowing them to see a doctor. Communication between the female detainees is also prohibited; those who were visited yesterday reported that the prison administration has placed plastic sheets on the doors of all rooms to prevent them from communicating with each other.
According to the Commission, the number of identified female detainees is (96), including four from Gaza, whose identities are known and who are in Damon prison. The number of administratively detained females is (32); this figure does not include all female detainees from Gaza, as there may be others in military camps run by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF).
The total number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons exceeds 10,200 as of early November 2024, while the number of administrative detainees is 3,443, including 100 children and 32 female detainees. Additionally, the number classified by the occupation prison administration as detainees from Gaza, or “illegal combatants”, is 1,627. This figure does not include all detainees from Gaza, particularly those in military camps run by the IOF.
