International Distress Call to Save Palestinian Prisoners from Scabies Outbreak in Occupation Prisons

Palestinian institutions specializing in prisoner and ex-prisoner affairs have launched an urgent humanitarian appeal to the World Health Organization, demanding immediate intervention to stop the escalating health catastrophe within Israeli occupation prisons. Al-Dameer Foundation, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs all confirmed that scabies has become widespread and alarming among prisoners, warning of serious repercussions for their lives in the absence of even minimal medical care.

Human rights sources explained in a joint statement that field data and recent testimonies indicate an unprecedented deterioration in the health condition of detainees, despite previous warnings directed to international organizations in April of last year. The institutions noted that the occupation continues to impose punitive measures that have exacerbated the health crisis, turning prisons into a fertile environment for the transmission of infectious and skin diseases among thousands of Palestinians.

Human rights reports documented the severe suffering experienced by infected prisoners, who endure intense itching and acute skin inflammations leading to constant pain and complete deprivation of sleep and rest. This suffering was not limited to adults but extended to child prisoners who face harsh detention conditions lacking the most basic standards of public health, leaving deep physical and psychological scars on their tender bodies.

The institutions attributed the rapid spread of scabies to the policy of extreme overcrowding within cells, and the deliberate deprivation of prisoners of essential cleaning supplies by prison administrations, as well as a sharp reduction in bathing periods. The sources also pointed out that the occupation authorities refuse to isolate the infected from the healthy and prevent the access of necessary medicines and treatment protocols, which confirms a deliberate intention of medical negligence as a tool of abuse.

Palestinian bodies stressed that these practices constitute a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions and international human rights standards, which oblige the occupying power to provide full healthcare to detainees. The institutions held the occupation authorities fully responsible for the lives and physical safety of prisoners, considering that international silence on these crimes encourages the occupation to proceed with its repressive and inhumane policies.

As part of the required action, the institutions called on the World Health Organization to send independent international medical teams to conduct field visits to prisons and closely examine the extent of the health catastrophe. They also called for real pressure on the occupation government to compel it to provide immediate treatment for the infected, ensure the introduction of personal hygiene supplies, and work to reduce overcrowding to prevent further infections.

It is worth noting that occupation prisons currently hold about 9,500 Palestinian prisoners, including 360 children and 95 female prisoners, living in conditions described as the most tragic in decades. Reports confirm that prisoners are subjected to systematic torture and starvation, in addition to medical negligence, which has recently led to the martyrdom of dozens of detainees due to the lack of necessary healthcare.

Continued policies of deliberate medical negligence constitute a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and directly threaten the lives of thousands of prisoners.