■ Israel Steps Up Attacks on Palestinian Political Prisoners
■ Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS)
24/2/2025

Ramallah, Palestine – Palestinian political detainees held at Ofer Prison are experiencing a sharp increase in attacks and assault against them by the Israeli occupation prison administration, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said today. Lawyers of the PPS visited detainees and gathered testimonies, particularly surrounding the events of the attack on prisoners that took place on the evening of February 16, in which many detainees suffered varying injuries. 

Israeli occupation forces used police dogs, grenades, and physical assault and beatings during their attack. These crackdowns are taking place in extremely cold weather, with the detainees suffering from a lack of adequate clothing and blankets, along with severe deprivation of medical care. 

Regarding the attack, detainee (D.B.) told his lawyer that “policies of repression are increasing. The last crackdown took place last Saturday,” where the detainees “were beaten and the contents of the cell destroyed.” The assaults “occur every two to three days, and the latest one was conducted in a brutal manner by the (Matzada) prison repression units."

Meanwhile, prisoner (Z.W.), who was already suffering from an injury by Israeli forces, said that on December 17, 2024, he was assaulted and beaten by the (Matzada) prison repression unit, and his walking cane was broken. He has not had any medical follow up despite being beaten again. 

Detainee (L.Z.) stated: "Israeli soldiers arrested me from my family home after shooting me with live ammunition. I was shot in the thigh, and after my arrest, I was transferred to the Soroka Hospital for one day. I was then transferred to Ofer Prison despite my medical condition. I am currently not receiving any treatment. My suffering has worsened due to the cold weather, which leaves me in constant pain. The prison administration has not only denied me proper care but also subject me to brutal beatings during the latest operations of repression. They deliberately beat me on my injured leg even though they knew about it." 

The prison administration’s ongoing denial of adequate clothing and blankets adds to the pain of the detainees amid the freezing cold. Prisoner (D.M.) said: "Due to the extreme cold, I no longer feel my feet, causing me cramps and pain. I can no longer move because of the intense pain, and I often cannot sleep."

Lawyers also visited ill and injured detainees, who require urgent medical care and are suffering from systematic denial of treatment, which is further intensified by the severe cold.

Until the beginning of February 2025, the number of Palestinians in the occupation’s custody exceeds 10,000 people. Dozens of detainees have been murdered behind bars whether through beatings, torture, starvation or medical deprivation. In light of these attacks, the PPS renews its call to the international human rights system to take effective decisions to hold the leaders of the occupation accountable for the war crimes they continue to commit against our people. It calls for the imposition of sanctions on the occupation to isolate it internationally and restore the human rights system to its intended role, ending the terrifying state of paralysis during the genocide and continuous aggression on the West Bank, and putting an end to the exceptional immunity granted by colonial countries to the state of Israel,
 rendering it above the law.