Palestinian commission reports dire conditions for prisoners in Israel’s Gilad camp

RAMALLAH, Palestine/ISTANBUL

Palestinian detainees face “catastrophic” conditions in the Gilad camp of Israel’s Ofer military prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah, a Palestinian commission said Sunday.

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees Affairs, citing a lawyer, said around 100 to 120 detainees are living harsh conditions across 12 rooms in the camp.

“The prison administration punishes detainees with solitary confinement, beatings, and electric shocks.”

The lawyer said during a visit to the camp, she found prisoners are shackled, blindfolded, and forced to walk with their heads bowed toward the ground.

She added that detainees suffer from severe shortages of clothing and hygiene supplies.

“Shirts and underwear are changed only once a week, while trousers are replaced only when torn, forcing many to wear the same pair for months.”

She said the prisoners shower with cold water outside their rooms, using dishwashing liquid instead of shampoo, during brief morning and evening breaks that last no more than 20 minutes each.

Regarding food, the prisoners told the lawyer that meals usually consist only of bread and yogurt, with tuna or sausages served once a week.

The prisoners also face harsh sleeping conditions, as their metal beds are covered with very thin mattresses, and each inmate receives only one blanket and a towel that is changed only every few weeks – often replaced with unclean ones, according to the statement.

Some detainees are reportedly forced to sleep on the floor due to the lack of space in the rooms.

The shortage of clothing and blankets comes amid very cold weather inside the camp, which has open iron-barred windows allowing wind and rain to enter.

The lawyer added that Israeli prison officers storm the rooms daily and apply punitive measures for trivial or no reasons at all.

She also noted that prisoners are forced to kneel during the four daily roll calls, denied sleep after 6 am, and forbidden from staying awake at night.

There was no comment from Israeli authorities on the lawyer’s statements.

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli prisons, enduring torture, starvation, and medical neglect that has led to the deaths of numerous detainees, according to both Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations.