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Palestinian Detainees Face Hunger, Medical Neglect at Israel’s Megiddo Prison: Commission

Accra: Palestinian detainees face food and medical care shortages at Megiddo Prison in northern Israel as their living conditions continue to deteriorate, a Palestinian commission said Sunday. The Commission of Detainees' Affairs stated that its lawyer visited prisoners at the facility and documented conditions it described as 'harsh.'

According to Anadolu Agency, the commission highlighted the case of Mohammed Sawafta, 20, from the occupied West Bank province of Tubas, who has been detained since June 17, 2025. Sawafta suffers from joint inflammation and viral infections affecting his stomach and eyes. Although he received treatment for an eye infection, he still needs a walker.

The commission reported that Palestinian detainees at the prison have lost weight due to insufficient food. It also noted that prison authorities move detainees while their hands are shackled, hindering their ability to sign documents or use a telephone during meetings with their lawyers.

Additionally, detainees lack cleaning supplies and have irregular access to shower water, which is available for about one hour a day. The report added that detainees are allowed outside their cells for no more than one hour a day at irregular times.

Palestinian prisoners' organizations emphasize that detainees in Israeli prisons face starvation, medical neglect, assaults, isolation, and shortages of hygiene supplies amid a widespread scabies outbreak. More than 100 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody since October 2023, with the identities of 91 of them announced as of the end of June 2026.

Around 9,500 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, including 94 women and more than 350 children, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.