Palestinian organization reports widespread scabies among prisoners in Israeli prisons

Data from a human rights organization

About 80% of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, including children, are suffering from scabies — the non-governmental Palestinian Prisoner's Society announced this on Sunday, citing accounts from imams and released detainees. According to Anadolu, the organization's legal teams visited dozens of prisoners in October and early November. In its assessment, the spread of the disease is driven by an acute shortage of clothing and overcrowded cells, while treatment provided is insufficient. The organization described the situation as a 'systematic policy' of mistreatment, starvation, and medical neglect.

Testimony from Negev Prison

The organization presented statements from several detainees at Negev Prison in southern Israel, using initials to protect their identities: many, it said, were afraid to speak, since some prisoners were severely beaten while being taken to visits. Detainee A.B. described a hand tendon injury sustained during a search and the need for surgery. It is claimed that on October 28, at around 7 a.m., special units raided Section 24, confiscating mattresses and beating detainees; another prisoner, D.H., spoke of gas being sprayed and rubber bullets that wounded three people. In Section 26, detainee M.K. reported having teeth knocked out; according to the lawyer who visited him, he described what happened in a state of evident fear. During the visit, prisoners were also not allowed to sign powers of attorney needed for their cases. Detainee M.S. said that mattresses are deliberately removed during the day, forcing people to sit on the floor or bare metal bunks, which is especially hard for the sick and elderly; M.H. said that access to the exercise yard depends on the guards' discretion, and overcrowding forces most to sleep on the floor. N.Y. described fear of roll calls and 'security checks,' which are often accompanied by raids and beatings. According to the organization, the frequency of raids varies by prison: some sections are raided every two to three days.

Women in Damon Prison

According to the organization, women in Damon Prison in northern Israel describe similar conditions: hunger, systematic suppression, searches, and denial of rights, with access to medical care and basic items used as a means of humiliation. As the number of female detainees has grown, overcrowding and the shortage of clothing have worsened; some reported limb cramps, skin rashes, and severe itching that interfered with sleep. The Society asserts that the administration continues to deny scabies among the women, attributing the symptoms to allergies, even though tests after release confirmed the disease. The organization called on international human rights groups to overcome, in its words, their inability to act in the face of 'crimes against prisoners aimed at their physical and psychological destruction.' By its count, more than 9,300 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, including about 90 women.

What to keep in mind

All of the information presented comes from one side — the Palestinian Prisoner's Society — and is based on prisoners' testimony and visits by its lawyers; the position of the Israeli authorities or independent verification of these claims is not represented in the publication. At the same time, the material contains specific, verifiable details — dates of raids, section numbers, descriptions of injuries — which set a framework for possible further investigations and responses from international organizations.