Testimonies of child prisoners in prisons…widespread diseases, oppression, abuse, and deprivation of food and drink
With the first hours of the war on the Gaza Strip, the occupation authorities began another war against the prisoners in its prisons.
The occupation authorities exploited the "emergency laws and regulations" to escalate the attacks and abuse of Palestinian prisoners, in many forms described as retaliatory, and the prisoners have faced difficult living conditions over the past ten months.
The young prisoners "under 18 years old" were not isolated from the measures of oppression and abuse, and deprivation of the simplest necessities of life, as Firas Al-Jabrini, a lawyer from the Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem, was able to visit a number of prisoners during the past weeks, in the prisons of Megiddo, Ofer, and Al-Maskoubiya.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center explained in a statement - through the visits of lawyer Firas Al-Jabrini to the prisons - that skin diseases are spreading in Megiddo Prison among children, due to the lack of hygiene; the center added in its statement that the infected prisoner with the skin disease has not been isolated during the recent period, due to the mass infection of the disease inside the rooms and sections. Previously, the prison administration would isolate the infected prisoners for about two weeks, then return him to the rooms.
The prisoners explained to the lawyer Al-Jabrini that inflamed pimples spread on their bodies, especially in sensitive areas, and they suffer from severe itching, and they are not provided with any treatment.
Skin diseases spread quickly among the prisoners, in addition to the lack of hygiene, there is overcrowding in the rooms, where prisoners are forced to sleep next to each other, due to the lack of sufficient blankets and mattresses for a large number of prisoners. There are 6 beds in the room, in which 12 prisoners sleep, so the prisoners are forced to sleep on the floor without blankets or mattresses, and some of them put their shoes under their heads as a "pillow" to be able to sleep. The prison administration also prevents prisoners from showering, allowing them to shower only a few times without cleaning materials or towels. Some prisoners explained to lawyer Al-Jabrini that only one towel may be available in the rooms and the prisoners exchange it among themselves without the possibility of washing or cleaning it. Likewise, the clothes that the prisoner wears are the same since last October, and if they are washed “without any detergent,” the prisoner is forced to wear them while they are wet or put them on the windows to dry. Some prisoners wear winter clothes because there is no alternative.
As for the food and drink provided to child prisoners, the center's lawyer explained, quoting the prisoners, that it is not clean and does not suffice their needs, especially since what is provided is not edible. Some prisoners are forced to combine lunch and dinner meals to be full, and breakfast consists of "a spoonful of labneh and a slice of bread", and a plate of hummus for everyone in the room "for dinner" or falafel, "inedible" beans, rice or bulgur that is not cooked well and is full of water, or spoiled eggs. The child prisoners confirmed that they cannot sleep due to severe hunger. As for the drink, the prisoners are forced to drink from the bathroom water, which is not clean. The electricity is also cut off from the rooms throughout the day, and at night they turn on the lights, especially during sleeping hours. The prisoners also suffer from repeated raids on their rooms, severe beatings, and sometimes tear gas. Lawyer Al-Jabrini documented, according to one of the prisoners, that one of the prisoners suffered a broken hand, “and he was not given treatment.” The prisoners noted that they are sometimes forced to kneel in the corners of the rooms or sleep on the floor, while the jailers walk on their backs, beat them, and spray hot water on them, in addition to hurling insults and obscene language.
Prisoners are denied treatment or medical examination in case of any pain they suffer.
The attacks on prisoners do not stop in prisons and detention centers only, as the center documented the attack on a child prisoner by cutting his hand with a "sharp tool" blade while he was in a police vehicle.
Some of the testimonies of child prisoners, some of whom have been sentenced and some of whom are still awaiting their sentence, reflect the harsh life and difficult living conditions that exceed their ability to endure and face these challenges, in light of international silence in the face of the violations against prisoners.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem explained that it has monitored more than 3,800 cases of arrest since October 7, including more than 370 boys, and these numbers include those who were "arrested and released and those who are under arrest."
