• 'They are subjected to daily oppression and mistreatment, deprived of everything, and constantly subjected to strip searches'

RAMALLAH, ISTANBUL

A Palestinian female lawyer, recently released after a year in an Israeli prison despite no charges against her, has highlighted the daily oppression, mistreatment, and strip searches endured by female detainees.

Diyala Ayesh, arrested by Israeli forces on Jan. 17, 2024, at a military checkpoint in Bethlehem, spoke to Anadolu about the severe hardships faced by women in detention. She was held under “administrative detention” at Damon Prison in northern Israel for a full year without charges before her release.

Israel’s practice of “administrative detention” allows the detention of Palestinians without charges or trials for periods ranging from one to six months.

Military courts can extend these periods up to five years, claiming that the detainees pose a “security threat to Israel” without disclosing any charges against them.

“I was imprisoned without any charges and held under administrative detention for a year before being released yesterday. However, many other women remain imprisoned, including three from Gaza. They are all waiting for their freedom,” Ayesh said.

She added, "Female prisoners are subjected to frequent strip searches. Despite this, they maintain high morale, and neither the prison nor the jailer could break them."

Ayesh described the inhumane conditions in Israeli prisons, saying: “The prison consists of solitary confinement cells, and the conditions are very harsh. Prisoners are left with nothing but their clothes."

"The prison administration takes away everything they have. Last September, they confiscated our spoons, forks, and cups. They returned some of them days later, forcing us to share and use them in turns,” she said.

Testimonies from released Palestinian detainees reveal ongoing torture and poor treatment in Israeli prisons, with hundreds of detainees suffering injuries in recent months.

Israel currently holds over 11,000 Palestinian prisoners, while it is estimated that 98 Israelis are detained in Gaza. Hamas has claimed that many Israeli captives have been killed in indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes.

*Writing by Fatma Zehra Solmaz