Since October 7, Israeli occupation forces have elevated their punitive procedures against palestinian prisoners, following the capture of more than 100 Israelis by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza Strip during the operation “Al-Aqsa Flood”.
The occupation forces have also arrested at least 120 citizens from the West Bank, including children, women, and elderly. During the process of arrest, detainees were subjected to threat, severe beating, and ruining of their homes.
The Israeli Prison Service authority has begun to impose more restrictions on Palestinian prisoners, through a new legislation that violates humanitarian and international standards. Here is a summary of such violations:
The Israeli occupation prison administration began to apply collective punishments against prisoners, by closing all departments in all prisons, and withdrawing television channels accessible to prisoners.
The prison administration informed the International Red Cross of cancelling all scheduled visits of prisoners’ families. It also postponed all prisoners’ hearings in the Salem and Ofer Military Courts on Sunday, 10/8/2023, to an unassigned date, while keeping the prisoners in detention.
Moreover, they stormed the female prisoners’ section in “Damoun” Prison, using gas, cutting off electricity, and isolating their representative, Marah Bakir, by transferring her to “Jalamah” Detention Center. In light of this, female prisoners decided to protest by returning their meals and rejecting the so-called “number” procedure.
The number of jamming devices on electronic devices was increased, in order to prevent prisoners from communicating with the outside.
In accordance with a military order, the prison authority decided to increase the period of detention limit from 96 hours to 8 days. At the same time, to prevent all detainees from meeting with a lawyer during the first four days of their detention.
The Prison Administration has also stormed the sections of the Negev prison, took away electrical appliances, isolated the sections from each other, and transferred the prisoner, Maslama Thabet, to a confinement cell.
Moreover, they stormed the prisoners' sections of Megiddo Prison, removed the electrical appliances from the prisoners, and isolated the sections from each other as well.
On October 8, 2023, Israeli War Minister, Yoav Gallant, issued an order considering Palestinian detainees from Gaza as “illegal combatants", based on the “Unlawful Combatant Law” issued in 2002. The “Order 3 (A-B)”, stipulated that detainees from Gaza are to be detained in a camp called “Sdet Yaman”, which is an army camp near Beersheba. This order is valid for 10 weeks from its date. This is a contravention of international humanitarian law, which stipulates that detained fighters are prisoners of war.
The Prison Authority cut off electricity and water from prisoners’ sections in Ofer Prison, pulled out the electrical appliances, and then restored electricity and water to the sections.
Meanwhile, tools used by prisoners for cooking in Nafha prison were taken away, the sections were completely isolated from each other, and they were prevented from going out to (Al-Fawra) the prison yard.
The prison administration transferred all Gaza prisoners in the Negev prison without telling them the destination of their transfer. It also,deliberately, cut off electricity and water from prisoners’ sections several times on and off, as recorded in most prisons.
They stormed the Negev Prison's sections and removed cantina materials from the sections, in addition to electrical appliances and kitchen utensils. Whereas, ill prisoners were denied transfer to prison clinics.
The Israeli occupation forces launched a massive campaign and arrested at least 45 citizens of the West Bank. Arrests were concentrated in the governorates of Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, and Bethlehem, including some other arrests in Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Jerusalem.
The Ramon Prison administration closed the canteen, withdrew all electricity devices, and prevented prisoners from going out to (Al-Fura) the prison yard. Electricity and water continued to be cut off from October 9.
In Ofer Prison, sick prisoners, including diabetics, were denied access to the necessary medication.
Some prisoners received direct threats, especially prisoners from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The Negev Prison Administration transferred all the prisoners in the tents’ section and distributed them among the other sections within the prison.
They stormed all sections of Ofer Prison, and began searching prisoners’ rooms and harassing them, along with the retaliatory procedures imposed since the beginning of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood”.
The occupation forces have arrested more than 150 citizens of the West Bank since the start of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7.
Israeli prisons administration informed the prisoners that the new punitive punishments were instructed as orders from the leadership of the occupation army. Thus, the prison administration is subject to those orders, and any disturbance in prisons will be managed by the army.
Children, female , and ill prisoners in Ramla Prison Clinic were deprived of communicating with their families through the public telephone.
A heavily armed oppressive aggression, using police dogs, into sections of Nafha prison was recorded. It included searches after removing and tying the prisoners, as well as interrogating some of the prisoners.
In some prisons, the prison administration reduced meals to only two instead of three, while the canteen was closed. Some prison administrations, deliberately, withdrew food supplies from sections.
Specialized legal teams in prisoner affairs in institutions face great difficulties in receiving updates on detainees' conditions.
Since October 7, occupation courts have imposed a number of restrictions on their lawyers' jobs. Some restrictions were a reflection of the activation of military orders used in a state of emergency. There have also been some difficulties in the process of obtaining information regarding new detainees.
Since the beginning of the aggression, Palestinian lawyers, who represent Palestinian detainees before military courts, have been informed of the activation of Article (33) of Military Order No. (1651). The military order stipulates arrest procedures “in a military campaign to confront terrorism”, where it allows detention up to 8 days before standing in court instead of 96 hours. Thus, the detainee is automatically banned from meeting his lawyer for two days.
There are difficulties in relation to finding out where the detainee is being held, and it might take a lawyer 48 hours to find out.
Military courts of Ofer and Salem have postponed all pleading sessions.
In addition, all extensions of sessions are conducted via video conference, which has always created difficulties in terms of communication between the detainee and his lawyer, as well as misfunction in the data related to the case.
Lawyers face restrictions and obstacles within the courts, regarding procedural matters and dealing with them.
Following up on the issue of administrative detainees:
ِ There is a constant increase in the number of administrative detention orders released by occupation authority.
All appeal hearings scheduled for administrative detainees were postponed again.
Moreover, ceasing visits by lawyers to prisoners inside prisons, placing prisoners in a double isolation procedure, as well as visits to detainees in detention and investigation centres.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society
Palestinian Prisoners’ Club
Addameer Foundation for Human Rights