Hassan Abed Rabbo, a specialist in prisoner affairs, has shed light on the dire conditions endured by prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons, particularly those from the Gaza Strip, who are subjected to continuous violations and crimes.

Abed Rabbo explained that the occupation relentlessly targets Palestinians through pursuit, killing, field executions, and widespread arrests, affecting thousands of unarmed civilians in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

According to Abed Rabbo, the occupation has detained approximately 12,000 individuals from the West Bank and an additional 7,000 from Gaza. He noted that these figures remain estimates due to the enforced disappearances and media blackout imposed on detainees.

He previously reported that the Israeli army announced 4,500 arrests by mid-2023, with approximately 1,750 further documented arrests during the ongoing military campaign in northern Gaza. Abed Rabbo emphasised that what sets Gaza’s arrests apart is the occupation’s policy of enforced disappearance, where lawyers are denied access, and the identities or locations of prisoners remain undisclosed.

Abed Rabbo revealed that these detainees are held in appalling conditions across various camps, including “Sde Teiman,” “Neftali,” “Negev,” “Anatot,” and “Ashkelon.” He highlighted the severe challenges faced by prisoners during the winter months, exacerbated by freezing temperatures, a lack of blankets, and inadequate winter clothing.

Additionally, he pointed to the alarming spread of infectious diseases among detainees, noting that over 2,500 prisoners recently contracted scabies due to poor hygiene and the absence of essential cleaning supplies.

The occupation’s crimes have also resulted in the deaths of 49 prisoners since 7 October 2023, including at least 30 from the Gaza Strip. Abed Rabbo cited Israeli media reports confirming dozens of deaths among detainees from Gaza and the West Bank, many of whom perished due to torture within Israeli detention camps.

Abed Rabbo strongly condemned the systematic torture and abuse faced by prisoners, including physical and sexual assaults—acts that he described as violations of human dignity and international law. He stressed that these atrocities, carried out openly before the global community, contravene international humanitarian standards, particularly the Geneva Conventions, yet the world remains inactive in addressing these violations.