Serious scabies outbreak in Israeli occupation prisons is part of the policy of torture and slow killing used against Palestinian political prisoners

A dangerous and rapidly escalating outbreak of the skin disease scabies is again sweeping through Israeli occupation prisons. This is causing huge suffering to the many thousands of Palestinian political prisoners who, for the past few years, have intentionally had the worst conditions ever inflicted on them.

Abdullah al-Zighari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, told the Canary:

The Israeli occupation system is carrying out acts of retaliation against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, by denying them the necessary medical care, posing a serious threat to their lives.

“Intentional health catastrophe” and deliberate deprivation of treatment for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons

During April and May, Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) lawyers conducted dozens of visits to Palestinian political prisoners. They found “shocking levels of human suffering and an intentional health catastrophe…amid deliberate deprivation of treatment and healthcare”.

These lawyers witnessed a complete lack of minimum hygiene standards and humane care. They have stated that diseases and epidemics are “being used as systematic tools of torture against Palestinian political prisoners”. In overcrowded cells, where no fewer than eight prisoners are held, at least three of them are infected with scabies.

Israeli occupation authorities have also cancelled many scheduled lawyer visits in the past few days, citing scabies infections in the prisons.

The testimonies of widespread scabies infections were from Ofer, Megiddo, Naqab and Ganot prisoners. In Megiddo, Palestinians have also experienced other serious health problems. These include severe abdominal and head pain, and intense aches, raising grave concerns about the spread of additional diseases and epidemics.

The health conditions, according to the PPS, are “deadly”. Some prisoners have remained infected with scabies for more than five consecutive months, without any serious medical intervention or treatment.

If left untreated, scabies causes bacterial skin infections which can spread into the bloodstream and become life-threatening. Because of the occupation’s intentional absence of any treatment, the PPS states that many prisoners now also suffer from boils, ulcers and severe infections. Others are unable to sleep due to intense itching and continuous pain. Some are unable to move normally because their health has deteriorated so badly.

Prisoners have told the PPS lawyers that their psychological suffering has reached unprecedented levels. This is due to the prolonged physical and mental exhaustion they have suffered for many months due to scabies.

Systematic policy of Israeli occupation prison system to destroy political prisoners physically and psychologically.

The policies and measures imposed by the occupation’s prison administration have led to this serious outbreak, which continues to spread. Prisoners are intentionally deprived of personal hygiene supplies, cells are severely overcrowded, and there is a lack of ventilation. Prisoners are deprived of sunlight, and are also forced to wash and wear clothes while still wet. This is because the Israeli occupation has intentionally ensured there is a severe lack of clothing inside prisons.

According to the PPS lawyers:

The prison system is using disease, epidemics and medical crimes as tools of slow killing against detainees, within a systematic policy aimed at destroying them physically and psychologically. These policies have, since the start of the genocide in Gaza, led to the killing of 89 identified Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons.

Diseases, including scabies, were among the most prominent factors contributing to the deaths of several prisoners. These deaths occurred amid the continued policy of denial of treatment, and ongoing medical crimes. This continuous state of complicity must come to an end.

Al Zighari tells us:

This scabies outbreak comes within the context of a systematic campaign of revenge. The Israeli occupation authorities bear full responsibility for this, alongside the international human rights and legal system that has failed to provide protection for Palestinian detainees inside prisons. The world must assume its responsibilities and act urgently to stop the extermination and abuses being inflicted upon Palestinian detainees inside Israeli prisons.

There are currently around 9400 Palestinian prisoners, 3600 of whom are imprisoned without trial or charge. 84 of these are women, 360 are children.

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