Two Palestinian women in Israeli jails report untreated health problems
The commission said one detainee has gone without specialist care for a thyroid condition, and both women described harsh conditions at Damon Prison.
Two Palestinian female detainees held in Israeli prisons are suffering worsening health problems linked to medical neglect, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Hanaa Mohammad Hassan al-Bidq, from Ramallah, has been held since Sept. 7, 2025, and the commission said she is kept in harsh and inhumane conditions.
She told her lawyer that she needs regular treatment for hypothyroidism, a condition she had before her arrest, but she has not been referred to an endocrinologist since then.
Her condition requires regular blood tests and specialist consultations at least every six months, because her medication dose must be adjusted based on the results.
The commission said al-Bidq has had scabies since July, and the symptoms continue, which it described as deliberate medical neglect.
The commission also said she has lost 42 kilograms because of what it called a starvation policy in Israeli prisons.
Al-Bidq said that on Oct. 8, units of the Israeli Prison Service's Yamaz special forces, accompanied by a prison officer, raided and assaulted female detainees inside Damon Prison.
She said the detainees were handcuffed with their hands behind their backs, blindfolded and beaten as they were moved to another section.
She also said gas canisters were emptied inside the cells, and that the detainees were verbally abused and insulted.
There are 82 female detainees held at Damon Prison, along with detainee Bushra al-Taweel, who is held in solitary confinement outside the prison.
Al-Bidq said detainees receive very small portions of poor-quality food.
She also said female detainees are allowed half an hour in the prison yard, but not on a regular basis.
Saja Daraghmeh, who has been held since Jan. 22, 2026, reported suffering from migraines and impaired vision and said she is being denied medical treatment, as are other Palestinian detainees.
Daraghmeh also reported contracting scabies last July and said she endures severe, persistent pain and itching around the clock without the necessary treatment.
Palestinian detainee groups and rights organizations have repeatedly raised complaints about medical care and detention conditions in Israeli prisons, though the commission's claims in this statement have not been independently verified.
