Ramla: Israeli authorities have moved Palestinian journalist and detainee Bushra al-Tawil, 33, to solitary confinement at Ramla prison, nearly six months after her arrest and transfer to administrative detention, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said Monday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the group stated that al-Tawil, from the West Bank city of Al-Bireh, was arrested in February and later placed under administrative detention. She had been detained several times before, most of them under the same procedure. Al-Tawil first experienced detention in 2011 when she was 18. Her father, Jamal al-Tawil, is also imprisoned in Israel and has spent extended periods under administrative detention.
The Palestinian Prisoner Society reported that the al-Tawil family has faced repeated raids and harassment, including deliberate damage to their home during the arrests of Bushra and her father. Al-Tawil had also been placed in solitary confinement several times during her current detention at Damon prison, with the latest transfer seen as part of a broader pattern of punitive measures against her.
The transfer occurs amid worsening conditions for Palestinian women held in Israeli prisons, including food deprivation, denial of medical care, solitary confinement, and poor detention conditions. It was also reported that scabies had spread among female detainees due to inadequate hygiene and health care. About 90 Palestinian women are currently held in Israeli prisons.
The group highlighted that al-Tawil's transfer followed a visit by extremist Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the women's section of Damon prison. Ben-Gvir posted footage from the visit, which the society described as 'an unprecedented level of brutality and disrespect for the dignity and rights of female prisoners.'
The society accused Israeli authorities of subjecting female detainees to systematic raids, filming, and invasive searches, including forced strip searches. It stated that solitary confinement, denial of medical treatment, food deprivation, and harsh detention conditions are part of policies imposed on Palestinian prisoners since Israel launched its military actions on Gaza in October 2023.
The group described Israeli prisons as 'grounds for torture' and held Israel fully responsible for the safety of al-Tawil and other Palestinian female detainees. It called on international and human rights groups to urgently work to halt the violations and protect the prisoners. About 9,500 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, including around 90 women and more than 350 children, who face food deprivation, torture, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.