Detainees at Israeli prisons endure ‘harrowing conditions’, says rights activist

AMMAN — Detainees at Israeli prisons are facing “harrowing” conditions, according to the rapporteur of the National Committee for Jordanian Captives and Missing Persons in the Israeli Occupation Prisons, Fadi Farah. 

In an interview with The Jordan Times, Farah said that the “vengeful” measures imposed on detainees in Israeli prisons since the beginning of the war on October 7 are “gravely concerning”. 

He noted that reports received by the committee from the families of Jordanians at Israeli prisons indicate that detainees are being subjected to “collective punishment” practices, including physical assaults and denied access to essential necessities, such as water, food, electricity and medical care.

Detainees in Israeli prisons have always endured ”harrowing conditions”, marked by unprovoked punitive measures such as starvation, even before the beginning of this most recent war, added Farah. 

He also pointed out that the Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir last week announced restrictions that aim to make prisoners’ living spaces “more crowded” to worsen their living conditions, amid the ongoing war. Family visits have also been completely banned for all prisoners, according to Farah. 

He added that there are currently 18 Jordanian captives at Israeli prisons, of whom two are sick and one is injured, with no access to any type of medical care.

“The two sick prisoners have not even been diagnosed, and the injured prisoner has been detained for four years with a gunshot wound in his leg without receiving the necessary medical care,” said Farah. 

The committee is urging government officials to take the necessary measures to follow up on the living conditions of Jordanian detainees in Israeli prisons. 

Farah himself was detained at Israeli prisons from 1995 and until 1999, when he was released upon a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Farah has since been an advocate for the rights of Jordanian captives at Israeli prisons.