Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, demands the international community to press on the Occupation’s State, to stop its ongoing aggressions against Palestinian prisoners in its prisons. Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails are subject to daily physical and psychological torture as well as other forms of degrading and cruel treatment. Palestinian prisoners are also subject to collective punishment and solely confinement as well as degrading investigation and other forms of violations and deprive of the basic human rights. The Israeli authorities apply the policy of medical negligence against Palestinian prisoners and deprive them of the right to receive medical treatment and they face also shortage in food supplies as well as banning family visits. SHAMS Center confirms that the practices and policies applied by the Israeli occupation authorities, is clear violation of Geneva Conventions, mainly the Third and Fourth Conventions as well as violating the International Human Rights Law.
SHAMS Center warns from the impacts of approving the drafted law to execute the Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli Knesset as it was approved through the first reading and was supported by the radical Israeli minister of Internal Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir. SHAMS Center emphasizes that approving such act through the second and third readings, would be of great risk on the lives of Palestinian Prisoners. The Center affirms that the procedures and laws of the Occupation, reflect clearly the racism nature of the Israeli regime.
SHAMS Center stresses that the increase in the number of martyrs from the prisoners since the year 1967 up to date, is clear manifestation of the racist policy applied by the occupation authorities against Palestinian prisoners. Up to date, there are 236 Palestinian prisoners who passed a way inside the Israeli prisons. The last martyr from the prisoners is Ahmad Bader Abu Ali, from Yatta- Hebron who died on Friday 10/2/2023 in Soroka Medical Center. The fall of Palestinian prisoners as martyrs, indicate that the occupation’s state is going on in its systematic oppressive policy against Palestinian prisoners. In this regard, 75 Palestinian prisoners died as a result to the policy of medical negligence while 73 were killed as a result to the torture. Additionally, 80 prisoners were killed intentionally after being arrested alongside with 7 prisoners who died as a result of being shot while inside the prisons.
SHAMS Center emphasizes that the increasingly number of detained Palestinians and the daily arrest campaigns indicate clearly that the occupation’s state denies articles 118 and 119 of Geneva Fourth Convention. According to the Palestinian official resources, there are currently 4900 Palestinians in the Israeli prisons including 31 women, and 160 male/ female kids. Additionally, there are 6 children who are still under administrative detention while there is a thousand Palestinian under this form of detention (administrative) in addition to two women. Likewise, there are 15 Palestinian journalists arrested by the Israeli authorities and four Palestinian Legislative Council Members: Marwan Barghoutyhi, Ahmad Saadat, Hassan Yousef, and Nasser Abdul- Jawwad. As for diseased prisoners, there are about 700 prisoners who suffer from various kinds of illness including 24 cancer diseased prisoners while another 200 prisoners suffer from chronical diseases.
SHAMS Center calls upon the entire Palestinian community and institutions to prioritize the issue of the Palestinian prisoners. Palestinian human rights and legal institutions should give focus on the issues of Palestinian prisoners and recruit efforts to face the violations that the Israeli occupation is committing against Palestinian prisoners. SHAMS Center calls upon the necessity to pursue the issue of the Palestinian prisoners against the international courts and against the national courts in the democratic states whose judiciary system allows discussing international cases. Additionally, the Center emphasizes the necessity to continue following up the issue of the Palestinian prisoners with the International Red Cross Committee to improve the living circumstances of the Palestinian prisoners. Especially women, children, and diseased prisoners. IRCS is an international independent Association that can perform a role in improving the circumstances of Palestinian prisoners and protect their rights.