The institution issued a statement criticizing the conditions in the Ofer prison, located in the occupied West Bank, saying that the situation there is tragic for the inmates.
In this regard, it condemned a recent raid on the cells, which was “accompanied by attacks on prisoners with batons and the spraying of gases.” The reason for the assault was reportedly a protest by the detainees, who banged on the doors to demand that the administration provide medical treatment to one of them.
Last week, several released Palestinian journalists denounced the torture they were subjected to by their captors in testimonies broadcast by the Palestinian Center for the Protection of Journalists.
Mahmoud Ailwa, arrested on March 18th, 2024, inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, detailed the methods of torture, which included beatings and psychological torture. “Because of your profession, we will double your torture, they told me after learning about my work,” Ailwa, describing the Ofer prison as hell, known for the systematic human rights violations committed within it.
Mohammed Al-Sultan, who was arrested in the Jabalia refugee camp in September 2023, confirmed for his part that he was subjected to eight harsh interrogation sessions. “I also suffered physical and verbal abuse, which made me live in a state of constant torment,” he said.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry last month urged the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Territories to look into the high death rate in Israeli prisons.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates asked the institution to investigate the numerous deaths of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. “We note with great concern the increasing number of fatalities among detainees in Israeli prisons,” it stressed, noting that since the beginning of the aggression against the Gaza Strip in October 2023, at least 59 Palestinians have died in prison. It went on to denounce “the atrocious practices and lethal methods of torture against prisoners”, and noted that many of them are missing.
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