Gaza Genocide12 July, 20263 min read
Commission Says Israel’s Megiddo Prison Harshly Detains Palestinian Minors With Medical Neglect
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Two detainees named Hamdi Badawi and Qusay Qattit face deliberate medical neglect at Megiddo. Harsh detention conditions at Megiddo include health problems and hygiene shortages.
Anadolu Ajansı was read line by line by the Watchdog: 3.0. See the score →
Megiddo conditions alleged
A Palestinian commission said Palestinian minors held at Israel’s Megiddo prison are enduring harsh detention conditions that include inadequate nutrition, medical neglect, and shortages of cleaning supplies, with shower water available for only one hour a day. The commission’s lawyer described detainee Mohammed Arafat Sawafta from Tubas governorate as battling multiple health problems, including joint inflammation, a stomach virus and an eye infection, and said his condition remains serious and forces him to use a walker. The commission added that detainees are transferred while handcuffed despite repeated objections, making it difficult for them to sign documents or even hold the telephone used to communicate during legal visits.
“Shower water is available for only one hour a day, and not on a regular basis.”
It also said detainees at Megiddo prison face shortages of cleaning supplies and that daily outdoor recreation is limited to an hour and is not consistently granted. In a separate but related account, Anadolu Ajansı reported that the commission highlighted Sawafta’s viral infections affecting his stomach and eyes and said Palestinian detainees have lost weight because of insufficient food.
Voices and public taunts
Haaretz reported that Amira Hass described a Ramallah doctor held for more than a month in Ofer Prison as losing weight rapidly on food he described as unfit for human consumption and as going without his regular medications for the first 10 days. In a video exchange posted on Telegram, Israel’s extremist national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunted a Palestinian woman prisoner after she complained about harsh detention conditions and a lack of basic necessities. Ben-Gvir asked, "How are the detention conditions here?" and the prisoner replied, "There is no good food, no clean water, nothing," according to the account.
Ben-Gvir responded, "This is not a hotel," and added, "Those who do things should consider the consequences," while the article said he has tightened conditions for Palestinian prisoners since taking office in late 2022. The same reporting framework also placed the number of Palestinian prisoners at around 9,500, including 94 women and more than 350 children, who it said face starvation, torture, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups.
Wider prison system stakes
Beyond Megiddo, the commission said female Palestinian detainees at Israel’s Damon prison continue to face ongoing violations by the prison administration, with a visiting lawyer describing Amna Suweilim, 55, from Nablus as held since Nov. 3, 2025.
The commission said Suweilim suffers from shoulder pain caused by a torn tendon, along with thyroid problems and an abdominal muscle hernia, and it also included testimony from detainee Leila Khalil, 22, from Beitunia who is in isolation and said conditions were "extremely poor."
Al-Jazeera Net reported that the Palestinian Prisoners Club said the boy Muhammad Musa Muhammad Suleiman Hamid is unconscious as a result of torture and medical neglect during his previous detention, while it also described deteriorating conditions in Megiddo due to shortages of food and medical care.
That same account said prisoners face starvation, medical neglect, assaults, isolation and a shortage of hygiene supplies amid a widespread outbreak of scabies, while it stated that more than 100 have died since October 7, 2023.
It further tied the broader system to policy changes, saying that since taking office in late 2022, Itamar Ben-Gvir has intensified detention conditions for Palestinian prisoners, including implementing a policy of starvation and medical neglect in addition to torture and isolation.