Layan Bsharat
17 May 2026•Update: 17 May 2026
The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs warned Sunday of the continued spread of scabies among detainees in Israel's Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, amid medical neglect.
In a statement, the commission said that its lawyer visited the prison and confirmed that Palestinian detainees are suffering from scabies for months without receiving any medical treatment.
The commission, citing its lawyer, pointed to the case of Asid Maarouf, a detainee from the town of Safa near Ramallah in the central West Bank, who has been suffering from scabies for about five months.
“His hands and other parts of his body are covered with blisters, in addition to severe itching, especially at night, without receiving any treatment,” it added.
The commission also cited the case of Atta al-Barghuti, 18, from the town of Beit Rima near Ramallah, who has also been suffering from scabies.
"The situation inside Ofer Prison is worsening," the lawyer said, noting that the prison administration deliberately removes mattresses from prisoners during sleep, forcing them to sleep only on their clothes.
The commission also cited the case of Fares Murra, from the town of Beit Duqqu north of East Jerusalem, who suffers from scabies and severe itching, and Muhammad Sharaka, 18, from Jalazone refugee camp near Ramallah, who suffers from boils on his body.
“Prisoners lack sufficient clothing as each detainee is only allowed to have the clothes they are wearing,” the lawyer said.
Since the start of the genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, Israeli authorities have escalated their violations and repressive measures against Palestinian prisoners in their jails.
These measures include medical neglect, physical and psychological torture, strip searches, starvation, and rape, according to Palestinian human rights organizations.
Israel is holding more than 9,400 Palestinians in its prisons, including 86 female prisoners and 3,376 administrative detainees. Tel Aviv has carried out more than 23,000 arrests since October 2023, according to prisoners' rights organizations.
*Writing by Rasa Evrensel in Istanbul
