“This is not the first instance of poisoning in Etzion, as similar cases have been recorded multiple times over the past few years.”
A number of Palestinian detainees in Israel’s Etzion prison in the southern occupied West Bank are suffering from severe food poisoning after consuming spoiled food, according to a Palestinian prisoners’ rights group.
A lawyer for the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, after visiting nine prisoners on Sunday at Etzion Detention Center, relayed that they had suffered poisoning after displaying similar symptoms following their meals,” said the Palestinian Prisoners Society, on Monday, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The Commission of Detainees’ and Ex-detainees Affairs has stated on Monday that a large number of Palestinian detainees at the Israeli Etzion prison have suffered from a severe food poisoning due to spoiled meals provided by the prison administration.
The Palestinian detainees… pic.twitter.com/MfUYHBuO88
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 9, 2024
“This is not the first instance of poisoning in Etzion, as similar cases have been recorded multiple times over the past few years,” it added.
Amani Sarahna, the media coordinator for the Palestinian Prisoners Society, told Anadolu that Etzion, which currently holds 111 detainees, serves as a temporary detention and investigation center where prisoners are later transferred to other facilities.
Sarahna noted that the affected prisoners did not receive any medical treatment.
Diarrhea, Vomiting
The Commission of Detainees’ Affairs confirmed that a significant number of detainees under interrogation at Etzion suffered from poisoning due to spoiled food served to them by the prison administration.
According to the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, a total of 11,900 arrest cases have been recorded in the West Bank and Jerusalem since October 7, 2023. Among these are 435 women (including those from 1948-occupied lands), 790 children, and 136 journalists, 58… pic.twitter.com/ckAf98Xr6k
— Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners (@ps_solidarity) December 6, 2024
Based on the information provided by their lawyer, the commission said detainees experienced severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, facial yellowing, significant fluid loss and an inability to stand after consuming the meals. Many fainted, said Anadolu.
The commission accused the prison administration of “deliberately subjecting detainees to harsh punishment since the start of the (Israeli) assault on Gaza. This includes prolonged hunger, providing poor-quality meals in both quantity and quality, and subjecting those who protest to severe beatings and solitary confinement.”
Call for Intervention
The commission called on all international organizations to “intervene urgently to alleviate their suffering and ensure their protection in Israeli prisons.”
According to the commission and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, the total number of arrests in the West Bank since the beginning of the ongoing war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 has exceeded 12,000.
This includes dozens of Palestinian workers and thousands from Gaza, whose numbers have not yet been fully documented.
(Anadolu, PC)
