Horrors of Israeli Ofer Prison Unmasked: Torture, Starvation, Neglect

A lawyer from the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission revealed that the crackdown on Palestinian detainees at “Israel’s” Ofer Prison has hit a critical level since October 7, 2023.

The lawyer, who has recently visited the prison, located southwest of Ramallah, reported severe mistreatment and systematic starvation of detainees.

He also warned that there have been seven suicide attempts among detainees due to the dire conditions, brutal treatment by guards, and the use of hunger and medical neglect as forms of collective punishment.

Detainees are subjected, according to the lawyer, to beatings both during their arrest and while detained, particularly if they are late for roll call or fail to wake up at the designated 4 am time each day.
 
The lawyer detailed that one detainee sustained severe burns while showering due to excessively hot water controlled by the prison administration, noting that he had not received medical attention for his injuries.

Moreover, Amr Abu Khalil, who is undergoing cancer treatment, was assaulted during his transfer for chemotherapy, only to be informed later that his treatment session was canceled, as per the lawyer.

The lawyer said that another detainee, Bashir Zaghloul Khatib from Birzeit, has been subjected to severe beatings since his arrest on February 18, 2023, resulting in a weight loss of over 12 kilograms.

The lawyer also highlighted the severe overcrowding in the prison, where at least 11 detainees are confined to one cell. Five of them sleep on the floor, while the others share metal bunk beds. They lack essential supplies, including adequate clothing, blankets, and food, as per the lawyer.

Over 9,800 Palestinians detained in the West Bank since Oct.7

The number of detainments in the West Bank has been steadily increasing since the onset of the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, with the total number of arrest campaigns reaching more than 9,800 detainees, of whom women constituted approximately 340 and children at least 680, as per a statement by the Palestinian Prisoners Society released last Thursday. 

The PPS also reported that the number of journalists detained after October 7 has reached 91 journalists, including six women. According to the statement, the occupation is keeping 53 journalists in detention, 17 of whom are under administrative detention. 

Additionally, no less than 19 detainees have died in occupation prisons, in addition to dozens of detainees from Gaza who were martyred in prisons and camps, without the occupation disclosing their identities or the circumstances surrounding their deaths, including dozens subjected to field executions.

The PPS indicated in its statement that this data does not include the number of detainments from Gaza, noting that the occupation admitted that it detained about 4,000 citizens from the Strip, hundreds of whom were released, in addition to the detainment of hundreds of Gaza workers in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society also stated that the occupation is holding the bodies of 16 detainees announced to have been martyred since the war began. They are among 27 martyred detainees whose bodies the occupation continues to hold.