The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) has accused the Israeli Prison Service of adopting the systematic use of rubber-coated bullets against Palestinian detainees as part of an escalating campaign of repression inside Israeli prisons.

The PPS said dozens of cases involving prisoners wounded by rubber bullets have been documented in recent months. However, it stressed that the true number of victims is likely much higher due to Israel's severe restrictions on prison visits and the continued isolation of detainees, which has prevented lawyers, families, and human rights organizations from accessing many prisoners and documenting the violations they face.

According to the organization, several prisoners have sustained serious injuries after being struck with rubber-coated bullets during raids and assaults carried out by Israeli prison forces. The injuries reportedly caused severe bleeding to the limbs and other sensitive areas of the body, with some detainees requiring emergency surgical procedures.

The PPS revealed that one prisoner was informed by doctors that he could face the amputation of a limb because of the severity of his injuries and the complications that followed. It added that many wounded prisoners remain in urgent need of specialized medical care but continue to be denied treatment under what it described as a deliberate Israeli policy of medical neglect.

The organization said the denial of healthcare has become one of the primary methods used by Israeli prison authorities to inflict prolonged suffering on Palestinian detainees, describing it as a form of "slow killing."

The statement further accused Israeli prison administrations of expanding the range of repressive measures employed against prisoners, introducing new weapons and methods of torture during raids and assaults inside detention facilities.

According to the PPS, Palestinian prisoners have effectively become "a testing ground" for increasingly violent methods of oppression, particularly since the start of Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip. It said Israeli authorities have even publicized some of these practices through domestic media, portraying them as part of an official policy aimed at intensifying brutality against Palestinian detainees.

The organization warned that violence inside Israeli prisons has reached unprecedented levels, arguing that detention facilities have evolved into a comprehensive system of torture where prisoners are subjected to physical abuse, psychological torment, humiliation, starvation, prolonged solitary confinement, systematic beatings, and the deliberate denial of medical treatment.

The PPS said these practices are designed to break prisoners physically and mentally and form part of a broader campaign targeting the Palestinian people.

Beyond the physical injuries, the organization highlighted the lasting psychological impact on detainees, stating that repeated prison raids, violent assaults, intimidation, and constant exposure to abuse have left many prisoners suffering from long-term trauma in an environment where, it said, even the most basic legal and humanitarian protections have been stripped away.

The Palestinian Prisoner Society renewed its appeal to the international community, urging the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and other international human rights mechanisms to intervene immediately to halt what it described as escalating crimes against Palestinian prisoners.

The organization also called for Israeli officials responsible for prison policies to be held accountable, arguing that the alleged abuses constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture.

The PPS maintained that the cumulative pattern of torture, medical neglect, degrading treatment, and systematic violence against Palestinian detainees amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity, demanding international prosecution and accountability for those responsible. (ILKHA)