Palestinian Detainees Report Starvation, Medical Neglect in Israeli Prison

September 13, 2026 

A number of released Palestinian detainees arrive in Gaza bearing visible signs of abuse, with health authorities describing some conditions as 'severe.' (Photo: via QNN)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Palestinian detainees reported severe weight loss, inadequate food, repeated raids and denial of medical treatment as conditions deteriorated inside an Israeli prison.

Key Takeaways

Palestinian detainee Osama Fathallah al-Shani has lost 35 kilograms in detention and is being denied pain medication despite severe back problems, according to the Detainees Commission.

Detainees described nearly daily searches, inadequate food and clothing, beatings, insults and violent raids involving rubber bullets and gas.

Other detainees reported untreated scabies, hearing loss and chronic injuries amid what the Commission described as deliberate medical neglect.

Severe Weight Loss and Denial of Treatment

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs has documented worsening living and health conditions at Israel’s Gannot Prison, citing severe food and clothing shortages, repeated searches, repression and medical neglect.

Osama Fathallah al-Shani, detained since 2024, told a Commission lawyer that he had lost 35 kilograms during his detention as a result of inadequate food. Al-Shani was initially interrogated at Ofer Prison for 30 days before being transferred to Nafha for 20 days, then Ramon and eventually Gannot.

He suffers from a slipped disc, for which he underwent surgery in 2022, and is currently experiencing severe back pain. According to his testimony, the prison administration has refused to provide him even with painkillers.

Al-Shani described poor treatment by guards and searches taking place almost daily. Detainees also lack basic personal necessities, with some suffering severe nutritional deficiencies and significant weight loss.

He said he possesses only two sets of clothing and that detainees generally face a severe shortage of underwear.

The daily recreation period lasts approximately one hour but is held at irregular times and can be affected by punitive measures imposed by prison authorities.

Raids, Beatings and ‘Systematic Starvation’

Qassam Abdul Karim Shibli, detained since 2019, described continuing raids and repression inside detainees’ rooms and sections.

Shibli spent 78 days at the Al-Maskubiya interrogation center before being transferred to Ofer for two months and later Nafha. The Commission said the latest lawyer visit was his first since October 7, 2023.

According to his testimony, units from Metzada and Yamaz raided several rooms on September 4, including the room where he was being held.

Israeli forces assaulted detainees using rubber bullets, gas and beatings, leaving two Palestinians injured, Shibli said. He added that the detainees were not told why the raid had been carried out.

Another detainee, Fadi Ahmed Abu al-Rub, detained since 2026, told the Commission that Palestinians were subjected to continuous provocations and insults alongside repeated searches and raids.

Abu al-Rub said he had lost 15 kilograms, attributing the weight loss to what he described as a “systematic starvation policy” inside Israeli prisons.

Sick and Injured Detainees Left without Care

The Commission documented similar conditions affecting Palestinians already suffering from serious health problems.

Ashraf Muhammad al-Zaghari, from Dheisheh refugee camp and detained since 2022, had previously suffered gunshot wounds to both knees and still has shrapnel lodged in his body. He also sustained an injury to his left ear during a repression operation at Ofer Prison approximately a year and a half ago.

Al-Zaghari said he has since suffered persistent pain, hearing loss and tinnitus but has not received adequate treatment. He described the medical neglect as occurring alongside severe shortages of basic necessities, poor food, insults and repeated repression.

Ahmed Mustafa Bleidi, from Salfit and held in administrative detention since 2025, is suffering from scabies. According to the Commission, Bleidi has received neither medication nor ointment for the condition, allowing his health to deteriorate.

The testimonies add to mounting documentation by Palestinian and international rights organizations of food deprivation, physical abuse and denial of medical treatment affecting Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons since October 2023.

(PC, QNN)