The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has strongly condemned the ongoing brutal repression and torture inflicted on Palestinian female prisoners in Israel’s Damon Prison, describing these acts as clear war crimes that demand urgent international attention and accountability.

In a statement issued on Monday, Hamas highlighted the escalating violence against these women, calling for immediate global action, intensified pressure on the Israeli occupation, and the mobilization of all possible means to defend the "free women and brave prisoners." The movement stressed that such systematic abuses cannot be ignored by the international community.

"The shocking testimonies emerging from the criminal Israeli Damon Prison reveal that female prisoners are forced to lie face down on the ground, handcuffed behind their backs, and subjected to severe beatings, kicks, and various forms of physical and psychological abuse," the statement detailed.

Damon Prison, located near Haifa in northern Israel, holds the majority of Palestinian women detainees. Rights groups report that Israel currently imprisons around 90 Palestinian women, including minors, pregnant women, journalists, cancer patients, and mothers separated from their children. Many are held under administrative detention without charge or trial.

Since October 2023, Israeli authorities have sharply increased arrests of Palestinian women from the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza, leading to severe overcrowding in facilities like Damon. Reports indicate sections designed for about 50 detainees now hold significantly more, with some forced to sleep on the floor. Prisoners face reduced access to food, water, medical care, showers, and yard time, alongside humiliating strip searches, confiscation of personal items like hijabs, threats of sexual assault, and denial of family contact.

Palestinian prisoners’ rights organizations, including the Palestinian Prisoner Society, Addameer, and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, have documented patterns of medical neglect, solitary confinement, and degrading treatment. Testimonies from released detainees describe forced stripping, beatings by guards, and psychological torment aimed at breaking the spirit of these women.

These violations against female prisoners form part of a larger system of mistreatment in Israeli detention facilities. Independent reports and prisoner testimonies point to widespread use of torture, sexual harassment, and gender-based violence as tools of control and humiliation. Mothers are often denied photos or news of their children, while pregnant detainees reportedly receive inadequate nutrition and healthcare.

Hamas and Palestinian advocates frame these actions as not isolated incidents but as state policy integral to the occupation’s efforts to suppress resistance and collective punishment. The targeting of women, seen as symbols of resilience and continuity of the Palestinian struggle, underscores the cruelty of the system.

Hamas urged the activation of all forms of pressure on Israel to halt these crimes and protect the detainees. Palestinian rights groups continue to appeal to international bodies, human rights organizations, and solidarity movements worldwide to amplify the voices of the prisoners and push for their release.

As the situation in Damon Prison deteriorates, with fresh reports of reduced food rations and heightened restrictions, the plight of these Palestinian women highlights the urgent need for accountability. Their resilience in the face of such adversity continues to inspire calls for justice and an end to the occupation’s systematic abuses. The international community must act decisively to investigate these war crimes and ensure the dignity and freedom of Palestinian prisoners. (ILKHA)