The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society has warned of a rapidly escalating scabies outbreak spreading across multiple Israeli prisons, describing the “catastrophic” health conditions and severe medical neglect affecting Palestinian detainees held in overcrowded and unsanitary facilities.

Based on dozens of lawyer visits conducted in April and May 2026, the organization reported that prisoners are facing what it called a worsening humanitarian and medical crisis inside detention centers, where infectious diseases are spreading quickly amid a lack of adequate treatment and hygiene conditions.

According to the statement, prison cells holding at least eight detainees each reportedly include multiple cases of scabies infection, with lawyers describing environments lacking even the most basic sanitation standards. The organization said these conditions have turned several prisons into “contaminated spaces” where disease continues to spread unchecked.

The Prisoner’s Society said facilities including Ofer Prison, Megiddo Prison, Naqab Prison, and Janot Prison are among those most severely affected by the outbreak.

Lawyers who visited detainees reportedly documented cases of prisoners suffering from severe itching, skin infections, abdominal pain, headaches, and widespread body aches, with fears that additional illnesses could spread in the absence of proper medical care.

The organization also said prison authorities had cancelled several scheduled legal visits after informing lawyers that detainees were infected with scabies, a move it described as a troubling sign of the scale of the outbreak and the worsening conditions inside detention facilities.

It further reported that many prisoners who had previously contracted scabies were reinfected due to what it described as persistent overcrowding, poor hygiene conditions, and lack of treatment. Some detainees, it said, have been suffering continuously for months without effective medical intervention.

According to the statement, prisoners are also developing complications such as skin ulcers, boils, and severe secondary infections. Many, it added, are unable to sleep due to constant pain and itching, while some detainees have reportedly become physically weakened to the point of reduced mobility.

The Prisoner’s Society said the psychological toll on detainees has become extreme, with prolonged illness and harsh conditions leaving many prisoners emotionally exhausted and hopeless. Some detainees, it said, now view recovery from illness as their only remaining concern amid ongoing suffering.

The organization accused Israeli prison authorities of contributing directly to the spread of disease through what it described as systematic neglect, including overcrowding, lack of ventilation, limited access to clean clothing and hygiene supplies, and deprivation of sunlight and basic living conditions.

It said these conditions amount to a broader policy of sustained abuse and warned that the situation inside prisons reflects what it called ongoing “systematic mistreatment” of Palestinian detainees.

The statement further claimed that 89 Palestinian prisoners and detainees have died in Israeli custody since the start of the war, citing only cases whose identities have been publicly confirmed.

Human rights groups and prisoner advocacy organizations have repeatedly raised concerns over health conditions in detention facilities amid ongoing regional tensions, calling for independent monitoring and urgent medical intervention to prevent further deterioration of the situation. (ILKHA)