A dangerous outbreak of ascariasis, caused by parasitic roundworms, has been reported in Section 28 of the Negev (Naqab) Desert Prison, triggering alarm among human rights defenders over worsening conditions and systematic medical neglect in Israeli prisons.

The Prisoners’ Information Office confirmed that the prison administration responded by isolating the affected section but failed to implement proper medical protocols or provide treatment to the infected detainees. This, they say, is yet another example of Israel's use of deliberate medical neglect as a tool of collective punishment against Palestinian prisoners.

The situation inside Naqab is rapidly deteriorating, with poor sanitation, overcrowding, and a lack of basic hygiene transforming the facility into what prisoner representatives are calling a “disease incubator.” Detainees and rights groups warn that the prison has become a silent site of abuse, where health crises are ignored until they reach catastrophic proportions.

The Office demanded the immediate formation of an independent medical committee to evaluate the health status of all detainees, provide urgent treatment, and pressure Israeli authorities to improve conditions. It also held the occupation fully responsible for the lives of the prisoners, stressing that the international community’s silence in the face of repeated medical violations enables continued abuse.

In a prison system already marked by torture, isolation, and inhumane treatment, this outbreak is not just a health crisis, it is a moral one.