RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank / PNN /
A rapidly worsening outbreak of scabies is spreading through sections housing Palestinian prisoners in several Israeli prisons, amid what rights groups describe as systematic medical neglect and deteriorating detention conditions.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said Sunday that testimonies gathered through dozens of lawyer visits during April and May revealed severe overcrowding, lack of hygiene and the deliberate denial of healthcare, creating what it described as a “health catastrophe” inside Israeli prisons.
According to the group, prisons including Ofer Prison, Megiddo Prison, Naqab Prison and Ganot Prison have witnessed widespread infections among detainees.
The group said prison cells holding at least eight prisoners often contain multiple scabies cases, while detainees are denied basic sanitation supplies, clean clothing, ventilation and exposure to sunlight.
In recent days, Israeli prison authorities canceled several scheduled lawyer visits after informing legal teams that the prisoners they intended to meet were infected with scabies, the organization said, describing the move as evidence of the scale of the outbreak inside detention facilities.
Lawyers also documented additional health symptoms among prisoners in Megiddo prison, including severe abdominal pain, headaches and widespread body pain, raising fears over the spread of further diseases in the absence of proper medical care.
The rights group said some prisoners have remained infected for more than five months without effective treatment, while others recovered partially before becoming reinfected because of prison conditions.
Scabies, if left untreated, can lead to serious complications including bacterial skin infections, ulcers and bloodstream infections. The organization said many prisoners are suffering from boils, skin ulcers and chronic infections, while severe itching and pain have deprived detainees of sleep and, in some cases, limited their ability to move normally.
The group also highlighted the psychological toll on prisoners, saying many detainees now describe recovery from illness as their main concern after months of physical suffering and exhaustion.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society accused Israeli prison authorities of using medical neglect, overcrowding and disease as tools of “slow killing” against Palestinian detainees, particularly since the start of the war in Gaza.
It said 89 identified Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody since the beginning of the war, adding that disease and denial of treatment were among the contributing factors in several cases.
The organization called on the World Health Organization and international human rights bodies to intervene urgently, ensure medical treatment for detainees and pressure Israeli authorities to end policies that have turned prisons into what it described as “centers of epidemics, torture and slow killing.”
