Palestinian men and women arbitrarily held in Israeli prisons are facing increasingly brutal treatment and escalating abuse, a prisoner rights group has revealed.

Ramallah, November 30 (RHC)-- Palestinian men and women arbitrarily held in Israeli prisons are facing increasingly brutal treatment and escalating abuse, a prisoner rights group has revealed.

After a lawyer’s visit to Israel’s Damon Prison, the Palestinian Prisoners Commission said in a statement that the prison administration is refusing detainees warm clothing and blankets, despite the severe cold and the beginning of winter.

Detainees, it said, are only permitted one winter coat, and only very basic hygiene and personal care supplies.  According to the statement, Israel’s prison guards regularly enter cells without regard for the detainees' privacy, using tear gas in some instances.

Citing women held at the prison, it said that the prison's deputy director had physically assaulted them.  The commission also revealed that women were deterred from seeking medical treatment at the prison clinic, as they often face interrogation during their visits.

Israeli prison authorities have intensified their inhumane treatment of Palestinian prisoners at Ofer Prison in the northern occupied West Bank.  “The prison guards seize everything from the cells including bedding, empty boxes, kitchen utensils, Qurans and prayer rugs,” it said. “The prisoners were in a bad condition, because they had been assaulted before the visit and they remained handcuffed and blindfolded during the entire visit.”

Torture in Israel's prisons and detention centers has been widespread and systematic, including rape, sexual assault, beatings, sleep deprivation, and starvation, according to various reports.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has carried out more than 10,200 arrests in the occupied West Bank and hundreds more in Gaza, often keeping prisoners in custody without charge. Several Palestinians have so far died in Israeli custody.

[ SOURCE:  PRESS TV and NEWS AGENCIES ]