Palestinian Prisoners’ Media: The occupation has turned prisons into tools of systematic torture
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The Prisoners’ Media Office of Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, compared on Wednesday the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons before and after October 7, 2023.
In its comparison, the office pointed to an unprecedented escalation in violations and crimes committed against them, both in terms of detention conditions and methods of torture and interrogation.
The office explained that the period before October 7 was characterized by repression and medical neglect, but what followed this date represented a shift to a more dangerous level, characterized by systematic torture, starvation, the spread of diseases, and complete denial of medical treatment.
It indicated that methods of torture and interrogation before that date were limited to traditional cruel practices, while the subsequent period witnessed the use of electric shocks, sexual assaults, and the use of police dogs, as part of a consistent and systematic policy.
The Prisoners’ Media Office affirmed that these practices reflect a clear vindictive approach against Palestinian prisoners, calling on international human rights and humanitarian organizations to assume their responsibilities and take immediate action to stop these crimes and hold the occupation accountable for them.
The number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons is estimated at around ten thousand, including children, women, and the sick. Many of them are held under administrative detention without charge or trial.
Palestinian and international human rights organizations confirm that the occupation authorities practice systematic violations against prisoners, including torture, ill-treatment, and medical neglect, in blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.
Since October 7, 2023, human rights reports indicate a sharp escalation in these violations, amidst collective punishment measures and unprecedented restrictions within prisons, and international silence and a clear failure to hold the occupation accountable or provide the necessary protection for Palestinian prisoners.
