Israel ban hijabs for female Palestinian prisoners

The Israeli authorities at Damon Prison have banned female Palestinian prisoners from wearing hijabs, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed has reported.

According to the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) confiscated the detainees’ hijabs, face coverings (niqabs) and loose smocks (jilbabs), replacing them with grey tracksuits. The move comes after the appointment of a new prison director, with officials saying that these measures are a response to events on 7 October last year.

Commission head Qaddoura Fares condemned the hijab ban as a “violation” of prisoners’ rights, adding that Israel’s handling of the detainees disregards legal and humanitarian standards.

“What is happening with the female prisoners reflects an Israeli approach that is increasingly violating all recognised laws and regulations, and Israel no longer adheres to any legal standards, and is behaving like a state gangster,” he told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Fares also noted that this measure is not only a restriction on religious freedom, but could also affect prisoners’ health, particularly with winter approaching, when detainees face severe shortages of warm clothing and blankets. Last winter, prisoners suffered from inadequate heating supplies, and the commission now warns of worsening conditions.

“The situation of female prisoners in Damon Prison has gone from bad to worse,” said Fares. “The prison administration was not satisfied with taking revenge on the female prisoners for a year, to the point that it confiscated their jilbabs, hijab and niqabs and replaced them with a grey sports suit without the hijab.”

Moreover, daily searches are imposed in the women’s section at Damon Prison, where Israeli guards confiscate detainees’ few personal belongings, including makeshift cups and even sewing needles. A majority of the 94 female Palestinian prisoners at Damon are also denied access to basic hygiene supplies, adequate clothing and shoes, forcing them to share items or borrow from one another.

Strip searches and the removal of lighting, leaving them in darkness, worsen their conditions further, while Israeli guards restrict food portions, affecting prisoners’ health.

“The commission is making great efforts to get the necessary supplies to the prisoners to avoid repeating the suffering of last winter, but the current indicators, given the escalation of occupation practices, indicate that the next stage will be more difficult for male and female prisoners,” explained Fares.

The majority of the female prisoners have been arrested since 7 October 2023 and held under administrative detention orders. They are thus held with neither charge nor trial based on “secret evidence” which even their lawyers aren’t allowed to access.

The Palestinian Authority estimates that since October 2023, Israel has arrested more than 11,500 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem.

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