Israeli prison forces carried out at least 10 raids on sections holding Palestinian women prisoners at Damon Prison in March and April, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said on Sunday.
A statement said the raids involved “beatings, forcing prisoners to lie on the ground and handcuffing them behind their backs.”
Citing testimonies from women recently released from Damon Prison, the group said male and female prison guards “deliberately assaulted the prisoners,” leaving several with bruises.
“Israel is holding most of the 88 Palestinian women prisoners in Damon Prison, while others remain in detention and interrogation centres,” the statement said.
Among the detainees are two girls and three pregnant women who were recently arrested over what Israel describes as “incitement.”
The group said the use of solitary confinement against women prisoners “has escalated” since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza in October 2023, noting that at least six women have been placed in isolation, including some held for more than two weeks.
It added that severe overcrowding has worsened inside prison cells amid ongoing arrest campaigns, with some cells holding more than 10 women, forcing many to sleep on the floor.
“Starvation policies have become one of the most recurring forms of abuse cited in prisoners’ testimonies, especially during Israeli holidays,” the statement said.
The group said one prisoner lost about 30 kilogrammes (66 pounds) within several months of detention.
It added that “strip searches” have become routine since 2023, particularly during transfers to Hasharon Prison, used as a temporary detention facility, or upon arrival at Damon Prison, where women were subjected to “humiliating and degrading” searches.
Strip searches are one of the most prominent and widely used policies and one of the forms of sexual assault that has affected all men and women prisoners, according to the group.
Israeli authorities also deny medical treatment to prisoners, such as women suffering from chronic illnesses, the statement said, adding that two women prisoners have cancer.
Most of the women prisoners are either detained over alleged “incitement” or held under administrative detention without charge based on what Israel describes as a “secret file,” the organisation said.
The prisoners' society renewed calls for the release of women prisoners held “arbitrarily,” especially minors, sick detainees, and pregnant women.
It also demanded an end to “organised crimes and violations” against prisoners, calling them “one aspect of the ongoing genocide against prisoners and detainees.”
In April, Raed Abu al Humus, head of the PLO Commission of Prisoners' Affairs, told Anadolu that Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails face a “silent genocide,” including starvation, solitary confinement, denial of medical treatment, beatings, and humiliation.
More than 9,400 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, facing torture, starvation, and medical neglect that have led to the deaths of dozens, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.
