RAMALLAH, (PIC)
Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi stated that what prisoners, especially female detainees, are subjected to in Israeli prisons, particularly Damon prison, reflects a dangerous escalation manifested in repeated raids on women’s sections and what he described as brutal repression, alongside practices that include verbal harassment. He considered this a moral decline and a blatant violation of international law.
Mardawi added in a statement on Thursday that these practices represent a systematic policy aimed at breaking the will of female prisoners and undermining their dignity, falling within a broader context of violations faced by Palestinian detainees inside Israeli prisons.
He stressed that the continuation of these assaults does not only target the female prisoners but constitutes an attack on the dignity of the entire Palestinian people, calling for a move beyond verbal condemnation toward practical, deterrent measures proportionate to the gravity of what is happening inside the prisons.
The Hamas official urged broad popular and factional mobilization to support prisoners, intensify backing efforts against what he described as repressive policies, and affirmed that the prisoners’ cause will remain a central national priority.
Mardawi also called on Palestinian and Arab forces, as well as international human rights institutions, to act urgently and pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to halt violations and ensure the protection of prisoners, warning against the continuation of what he described as serious abuses inside the prisons.
