Warnings of deteriorating health condition of three prisoners in Megiddo Prison due to medical negligence

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs launched an urgent distress call today, Sunday, to warn of the serious deterioration in the health conditions of three prisoners held in the Israeli Megiddo Prison. The commission confirmed in an official statement that these prisoners are facing a deliberate and systematic policy of medical negligence, aimed at undermining their physical well-being and depriving them of the most basic internationally guaranteed medical rights.

Sources explained that the occupation prison administration not only deprives patients of treatment but also imposes harsh living conditions on them, including policies of deliberate starvation and thirst. Prisoners are also subjected to humiliating daily searches, and are deprived of basic personal hygiene supplies, which exacerbates the spread of diseases and ailments inside the overcrowded cells.

Regarding the details of the medical cases, prisoner Abdullah Mahmoud Muzher, 25 years old, from Balata refugee camp, suffers from an old shrapnel injury in his left eye that causes him constant burning due to the lack of necessary cleaning drops. Muzher also complains of severe pain in his right hand that requires urgent surgical intervention, but the prison administration refuses to give him even simple painkillers to alleviate his suffering.

As for prisoner Muhammad Sobhi Hamadneh, 42 years old, from Nablus, he suffered a severe health setback after contracting an intestinal virus similar to 'amoeba' last February. This infection led to a massive weight loss, reaching only 37 kilograms, with a sharp drop in blood pressure that caused him recurrent fainting spells and extreme difficulty in breathing and standing.

Regarding prisoner Yaqoub Mahmoud Qadri, 53 years old, detained since 2003, he has been suffering from thyroid disorders for three years without surgical treatment. Qadri also suffers from multiple disc herniations in his spine and neck dating back more than twenty years, in addition to excruciating tooth pain that requires treatment in a specialized clinic, which the administration refuses to transfer him to.

These testimonies come at a time when human rights reports documenting the escalation of torture and abuse campaigns against Palestinian prisoners have been increasing since October 2023. Many ex-detainees have recently reported being subjected to systematic torture and starvation, which led to the appearance of symptoms of mental illness and severe emaciation on their bodies as a result of the inhumane conditions they endured.

For its part, Palestinian forces and factions condemned these crimes, describing what is happening inside the prisons as a 'full-fledged crime' taking place amidst complete international silence. Statements indicated that the occupation is exploiting the current circumstances to tighten the noose on prisoners and turn prisons into cemeteries for the living, in flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention concerning the protection of civilians and prisoners.

Official Palestinian statistics indicate that the number of prisoners in occupation prisons has exceeded 9,300, including more than 3,300 administrative detainees held behind bars without clear charges or fair trials. These figures reflect the scale of the widespread targeting of Palestinian society, where administrative detention is used as a tool for collective punishment.

It is worth noting that the history of the prisoner movement has recorded the martyrdom of 323 prisoners inside occupation prisons since 1967, as a result of torture, medical negligence, or deliberate killing. Human rights organizations demand the necessity of forming an international investigation committee to ascertain the extent of ongoing violations inside Megiddo Prison and other Israeli detention centers to ensure the protection of prisoners' lives.

Prisoners in Megiddo Prison suffer from difficult health conditions due to the deliberate medical negligence practiced by the prison service administration against them.