Scabies affects around 80% of Palestinian detainees, group says
The Palestinian Prisoners' Society also said detainees face severe clothing shortages, overcrowding and regular raids in Israeli prisons.
About 80% of Palestinian detainees, including children, have scabies in Israeli prisons, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society said in a statement on Sunday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
The society said the testimonies, gathered from dozens of male and female detainees in October and early November, pointed to what it called a systematic policy rather than isolated violations.
It said the accounts focused on four main issues: the spread of scabies, worsening health among sick, chronically ill and injured detainees, repeated raids, and daily abuse and torture.
Dozens of detainees said special units affiliated with the Israeli Prison Service raid prison sections armed with various weapons and accompanied by police dogs.
Dozens of injuries from rubber-coated bullets and unfamiliar weapons have been recorded in recent months, the society said, with some weapons causing burns and others leaving detainees unable to move.
The society said raids vary from one prison to another but continue, with no more than two weeks between incidents, and in some sections they recur every two or three days.
Beatings have caused broken teeth and ribs as well as bruising across detainees' bodies, the society said.
It said thousands of detainees face a severe shortage of clothing, which it identified as one of the main factors behind the spread of scabies.
The society said there has been no meaningful treatment or effort to address the underlying causes of the infections.
It also said showering conditions have deteriorated in some sections of Naqab prison after a major breakdown in the showers, while severe overcrowding persists in several major prisons amid continuing daily detention campaigns.
