RAMALLAH, October 18, 2026 (WAFA) — The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said Israeli prisons have witnessed dozens of repression raids against Palestinian detainees since October 7 and in the days that followed, involving rubber-coated bullets fired at detainees’ limbs, tear gas and other weapons, some of which caused burns.
The society said preliminary testimonies collected during visits conducted after October 7 and continuing through the end of last week reflect conditions that have persisted for three years since the start of the genocide: systematic repression, starvation, denial of all forms of healthcare, and the deliberate humiliation and subjugation of detainees through a system of violence aimed at destroying them physically and psychologically.
It noted that some prison sections were subjected to multiple raids on October 7, particularly the women’s section at Damon Prison, where detainees endured three raids on the same day. Their rooms were searched three times, while tear gas and stun grenades were used, leaving many women suffering from suffocation.
According to the testimonies, the women were taken out into the prison yard in handcuffs after being shouted at and insulted. They were forced to lie face down until the raids ended and were filmed throughout the process.
The women also reported that prison authorities placed a group of detainees in isolation because they had braided and styled their hair. They were forced to undo their braids, and 15 women were subsequently transferred to solitary confinement.
The repression continued on October 8, when the women were targeted again with pepper spray in an operation involving the Yamaz unit. They were assaulted and pushed into the prison yard, where they were once again forced to lie face down.
Extensive searches were also conducted inside cells. Repression forces deliberately threw mattresses onto the floor and scattered food scraps and rubbish over them.
The society added that repression raids were broader and more severe in major prisons housing thousands of detainees, including Janot, Ofer and the Negev prisons. Some sections had been targeted as early as October 6, with dozens of detainees hit by rubber bullets and several transferred to hospitals as a result.
It further noted that the prison administration released footage of the October 7 raids, one of dozens of videos circulated since the beginning of the genocide. These included footage published by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
M.N
