Accra:According to Palestinian Prisoner's Society, Israeli prisons have experienced numerous repression raids against Palestinian detainees since October 7. These incidents involved the use of rubber-coated bullets, tear gas, and other weapons, resulting in injuries like burns among the detainees.
The Society's preliminary findings, gathered through visits conducted after October 7, suggest that these conditions have been ongoing for three years, characterized by systematic repression, starvation, lack of healthcare, and humiliation aimed at psychological and physical destruction of detainees.
Multiple raids were reported in specific sections, notably the women's section at Damon Prison. On October 7, this area faced three raids in a single day. During these raids, tear gas and stun grenades were employed, causing suffocation among many women. Testimonies describe how women were shouted at, insulted, handcuffed, and forced to lie face down in the prison yard, all while being filmed.
Further reports indicate that some women were isolated for styling their hair, with 15 being placed in solitary confinement after being forced to undo their braids. On October 8, the women were again targeted, this time with pepper spray, during an operation by the Yamaz unit. They were assaulted and forced into the yard, where they had to lie face down once more.
Searches inside cells were extensive, with repression forces reportedly throwing mattresses on the floor and scattering food scraps and rubbish over them. The raids were even more severe in larger prisons like Janot, Ofer, and the Negev, where some detainees had already been targeted as early as October 6, resulting in hospitalizations due to rubber bullet injuries.
The prison administration has released footage of these raids, including videos shared by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, highlighting the ongoing conflict within the prison system.
Source Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA – English