Ramallah – In a serious and unprecedented development, the Palestinian Center for the Defense of Prisoners warns of a systematic escalation targeting our prisoners in Ofer prison, aimed at undermining their resilience and breaking their psychological and physical cohesion, amid an international silence that is deeply concerning.
We confirm that the administration of Ofer prison is implementing a comprehensive repressive policy based on psychological exhaustion, living neglect, and direct torture, aiming to drive the prisoners into psychological collapse and break their will.
Grave Violations Constituting War Crimes
We have documented a series of practices and violations, the most prominent of which are:
- Deliberate psychological exhaustion: Continuous procedures to instill fear and anxiety, pushing prisoners toward severe psychological disorders and loss of mental balance.
- Systematic life neglect: Poor food in both quantity and quality, lack of hygiene conditions, deprivation of clothing and blankets, severe overcrowding in cells, and the spread of contagious diseases.
- Ongoing torture and pressure: Repeated night raids on rooms, humiliating insults and physical assaults, prolonged solitary confinement, and deprivation of ventilation and natural light.
Destructive Psychological Effects
What is happening inside Ofer prison is not merely isolated violations, but rather an organized operation to destroy the psychological balance of the prisoners and turn them into chronic medical cases, attempting to break their collective will and weaken their morale.
We hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for these crimes, and we call for:
- Urgent intervention from international and human rights organizations.
- The sending of specialized medical and psychological teams to examine the prisoners’ conditions.
- The cessation of all forms of torture and psychological terror against the detainees.
The continuation of these violations without deterrence or accountability opens the door to a humanitarian catastrophe inside Israeli prisons and presents a real test of the international community’s commitment to international humanitarian law and human rights.
