Female Palestinian detainees suffer diseases in Israel's Hasharon prison

Ahrar Centre for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights in the Palestinian territories has said that most of the female Palestinian prisoners detained in the Hasharon Israeli prison are suffering from various diseases and are in need of treatment.

Fouad Khuffash, the centre’s director, explained in a statement on Monday that the Hasharon Prison, in the north of the West Bank currently has 16 female Palestinian detainees and that the poor prison conditions are getting worse as winter approaches, causing increased suffering from the common cold.

Khuffash said that “most of the prisoners in Hasharon suffer from various diseases, especially prisoner Lena Jerboni, who still suffers from the effects of the gall bladder operation that she underwent three months ago. She also suffers from pain in her feet, which makes standing, walking and all movement difficult for her.”

He added that the prisoner Dunya Waked, from Tulkarem, has diabetes and suffers from asthma and shortness of breath. She is in need of a respirator but the prison administration refuses to give her one. She has lost about 20 kilos since the beginning of her detention.

According to Khuffash, prisoner Inam al-Hasanat, from Bethlehem is suffering from migraines. Prisoner Nawal Saadi, from Jenin, who is the eldest of the female prisoners at 52, suffers from significantly high blood pressure.

Khuffash also mentioned in his statement that prisoner Tahrir Alqani, from Kafr Kaleel, in the Nablus district, suffers from severe eye infections since her arrest and her condition is deteriorating as of the prison administration fails to provide the necessary treatment.

Among the ill prisoners is also Nahil Abu Eisha from Hebron, who suffers from severe abdominal pain and is in need of treatment. The poor quality and low quantity of the food provided has caused her health to deteriorate and increased her stomach pain.

Mona Ka’adan, from Jenin is suffering from high blood pressure. Intisar al-Sayad, from Jerusalem, is suffering from respiratory problems because of the congested atmosphere in the small prison rooms with polluted air.

Fouad Khuffash, described the situation inside the Hasharon prison as “catastrophic”, saying, “the prison and its interiors are not adequate for living, and these conditions created by the Israeli occupation which it forces the Palestinian prisoners to live in are punishment.

Khuffash continued that “neglecting to treat the prisoners is another issue that aims to make the conditions more difficult. They are forced to have to cope with those bad conditions.”

Ahrar Centre for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights is an independent Palestinian centre for human rights that works to defend the rights of prisoners in Israeli jails and the human rights violations they face.

In a previous study, Ahrar Centre said that “the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails amounts to 4,750 prisoners from the West Bank, Jerusalem, Gaza Strip, and the occupied Palestinian lands of 1948.”

The study also points out that the prisoners are dispersed through nearly 17 prisons and detention centres in various parts of Israel, notably, the Negev, Ofer, Nafha, Gilboa, Shatta, Ramon, Ashkelon, Hadarim, Eshel, ahly Kedar, Hasharon, Ramle, and Megiddo.

The study showed that “the situation of prisoners in Israeli jails unbearable, in terms of preventing visits, solitary confinement, administrative provisions, nude inspections, and the prevention of college and high school education, as well as the prohibition of the entry of books.”

The number of sick prisoners has risen to about 1,400 prisoners. They suffer from various diseases that are associated with the difficult conditions of detention as well as ill-treatment and malnutrition. The study has pointed out that all these people are not receiving the necessary care.

The study also pointed out that “the most dangerous conditions include dozens of prisoners who suffer from mental, physical and sensory disabilities, serious and malignant diseases and chronic diseases such as heart, cancer, kidney failure and paraplegia.

Arrests

In related events, Israeli troops arrested eight Palestinians from the West Bank at dawn on Monday on the grounds that they are wanted by the Israeli security services, according to witnesses.

The witnesses said “the Israeli army stormed the cities of Bethlehem, Hebron and Qalqilya in the West Bank. They raided a number of houses and caused havoc and property damage, under the pretext that they were searching for weapons.”

Witnesses also said that the Israeli army arrested eight people and took them to unknown destinations before their withdrawal.

The occupation carries out raids and arrests on a daily basis in the cities and towns of the West Bank on the grounds that they are wanted for criminal acts.