The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office confirmed on Sunday that female prisoners in the Israeli Damon Prison were subjected to a violent raid by Israeli prison forces in the early hours of Friday morning. The raid included the use of tear gas, physical assaults, and the isolation of several prisoners.
In a statement, the office explained that Israeli prison forces stormed one of the cells at midnight and fired tear gas inside, causing several female prisoners to suffer from suffocation and severe respiratory distress, amidst screams and cries for help that could be heard throughout the section.
The statement added that the forces forced the prisoners to lie face down for nearly an hour, with their hands bound and eyes blindfolded, before returning them to their cells in a state of extreme exhaustion. No medical care or first aid was provided, despite the deteriorating health of some of the prisoners.
The office noted that the raid was accompanied by physical assaults, verbal abuse, and the isolation of several prisoners that same night. He pointed out that the female prisoners are suffering from deteriorating health and living conditions, with allergies and skin diseases spreading within the prison sections, particularly on the back and chest, due to high temperatures and poor detention conditions.
He explained that the prisoners’ suffering is exacerbated by the lack of ventilation in several rooms, the shortage of cleaning supplies, and restrictions on the use of washing machines, all of which contribute to the spread of diseases and increase the harshness of their detention conditions.
In closing, the Prisoners’ Media Office considered the events in Damon Prison a new escalation against Palestinian female prisoners, calling on international human rights and humanitarian organizations to take immediate action to stop the violations and hold the Israeli occupation authorities accountable for their practices within the prisons.
