RAMALLAH, July 3, 2025 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Commission for Prisoners and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported Thursday that Palestinian detainee Fidaa Assaf, currently held in Damon Prison, is experiencing a severe deterioration in her health as her cancer worsens under harsh and inhumane detention conditions.

According to the Commission, which cited a lawyer’s recent visit, Assaf’s illness had been stable prior to her detention, but recent medical tests revealed a dangerous increase in tumor markers, pointing to a direct negative impact of the prison environment on her health.

Assaf described dire living conditions inside Damon Prison, where female detainees are denied basic rights, including access to essential hygiene products and personal care items, alongside a severe shortage of clothing and restrictions on purchasing supplies from the prison canteen.

Detainees were recently denied access to outdoor time altogether, before authorities allowed them just 15 minutes daily in the prison yard. They remain completely isolated from the outside world, particularly under the ongoing state of emergency, which has blocked family and lawyer visits.

Assaf added that there are currently 42 female prisoners in Damon, who are subjected to frequent night raids and cell searches, further undermining their psychological well-being.

Among them are two pregnant women, Zahraa Kawazba and Doaa Badawi, both in their seventh month of pregnancy, who lack the most basic medical care, food, and rest, and intentional medical neglect.

Assaf was arrested on February 24, 2025, while returning from Ramallah Medical Complex after undergoing medical examinations. During her detention, she was reportedly subjected to repeated strip searches, verbal abuse, and held in an infested, filthy cell without water or food for several days.

Assaf, is a mother from the town of Kafr Laqif in Qalqilya governorate.

Y.S