RAMALLAH, August 12, 2025 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has issued a new briefing summarizing the most prominent findings of legal teams' visits to detainees in occupation prisons, which took place between the end of July 2025 and the beginning of August.
In a statement, the PPS reiterated that Israeli prison system continues to commit systemic crimes and violations against Palestinian detainees. The visits revealed that the vast majority of those interviewed suffering from health problems, some of which are chronic and serious.
The testimonies revealed the continued spread of diseases, particularly scabies, which has infected thousands of detainees over the past period, threatening an ongoing and worsening health catastrophe.
The Israeli prison administration, in a systematic and planned manner, imposes conditions aimed at depriving prisoners of their humanity and targeting their consciousness. It also causes chronic diseases that are difficult to treat later, and drives them to a state of physical and psychological exhaustion, which may lead to their death.
The PPS described the current situation inside imprisonment as revolving around three main categories of crimes: torture, starvation, and denial of medical treatment. Since the beginning of the genocide brutality nearly 76 detainees have died in jails, making this the bloodiest phase in the history of the Palestinian prisoner movement.
It also noted that all detainees face the same violations, although the intensity of their implementation varies from time to time. In Gilboa Prison recently witnessed a significant escalation in repression, including severe beatings, electric shocks, and the reduction of already meager food supplies.
One of the prisoners reported that "the repression is recurrent, occurring on average once a week, and includes beatings, electric shocks, and the use of police dogs, in addition to constant insults and humiliation."
Moving to Ofer Prison, which is currently witnessing an unprecedented and accelerating spread of scabies, , despite historically low infection rates there.
All testimonies confirmed that the prison administration deliberately keeps infected prisoners alongside healthy ones, accelerating the spread. All detainees share blankets, dishes, and bathrooms, amidst a lack of hygiene. Twelve prisoners receive one bottle of shampoo, which is not enough for three people, while the shower time allocated to each prisoner does not exceed one minute and is not permitted daily.
In addition, prisoners are denied ventilation and sunlight, and some sections have been banned from "freezing" for more than a month, under the pretext of the spread of the disease. Prisoners have described the cells as having been transformed into "ovens" due to the high temperatures, lack of ventilation, a shortage of clothing, and severe overcrowding.
In the Negev and Megiddo prisons, which have previously witnessed torture and the deaths of prisoners, scabies and other undiagnosed diseases continue to spread. In a statement from the wounded prisoner (M. S.), he explained that he suffers from severe pain due to foot and back injuries he sustained prior to his current arrest, which led to a herniated disc, in addition to heart problems and high blood pressure. Despite his urgent need for regular daily medication, he is not receiving the necessary treatment, which increases the risk to his life.
At the Ramleh Prison Clinic, at least 22 prisoners are held in dire conditions, including wounded and kidney patients requiring regular dialysis, and others suffering from paralysis and requiring ongoing care. Female prisoners in Damon Prison face similar conditions, including starvation, deprivation, systematic abuse, and repression coupled with assault, restraint, and strip searches. This is in addition to extreme humidity and temperatures, and the spread of insects.
In light of the ongoing crimes against detainees in Israeli custody, the PPS affirmed that these violations and crimes will continue as long as there is systematic international inaction in the face of the ongoing genocide.
It renewed its call for the international human rights community to assume its responsibilities, warning against the state of exception granted by international powers to the occupation, which constitutes a green light for further crimes.
● The total number of prisoners and detainees in Israeli occupation prisons as of the beginning of August 2025 amounted to approximately (10,800) prisoners. This number does not include detainees held in camps affiliated with the occupation army. This number represents the highest number since the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, based on documentary data available to institutions.
● Female prisoners: Their number to date stands at (49) female prisoners, including two female prisoners from Gaza and two girls.
● Children: Their number to date stands at more than (450) children.
● Administrative detainees: As of the beginning of July, their number reached (3,613) detainees, which is the highest percentage compared to the number of prisoners under arrest, convicted, and classified as "unlawful combatants."
● Detainees classified as "unlawful combatants": Their number reached (2,378).
Y.S
