Gaza Herald – Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has once again appeared inside an Israeli prison holding Palestinian women detainees, entering the women’s section of Damon Prison in a filmed visit aired by Israel’s Channel 14.
In the footage, Ben-Gvir questioned Palestinian women about their detention conditions. When one prisoner complained about the harsh treatment and conditions inside the prison, he showed no sympathy and instead defended policies aimed at making their imprisonment more severe, saying they should not be living comfortably behind bars.
The footage has renewed criticism of Ben-Gvir’s repeated prison visits, which Palestinians and rights groups say have increasingly been used to publicly display and promote punitive measures against Palestinian detainees. Previous visits have also been filmed and publicized as part of his broader campaign to intensify restrictions on Palestinian detainees.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said Ben-Gvir’s decision to film and publish images of the women amounts to an assault on their human dignity. It accused him of using their suffering as political spectacle and said his conduct reflects his role in promoting increasingly abusive prison policies.
Palestinian prisoner organizations have documented hundreds of testimonies documenting severe conditions inside Israeli prisons and detention camps. They say the measures include prolonged isolation, raids, searches, collective punishment, restricted family visits, inadequate medical care, and worsening food conditions.
According to the Prisoners’ Club, 92 Palestinian women are currently detained, most of them held at Damon Prison. Prisoner organizations have also warned of particularly harsh conditions facing pregnant detainees, including three pregnant Palestinian women who were reportedly subjected to deprivation and denied visits from their families and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Human rights groups have also documented a series of raids against Palestinian women prisoners at Damon. Seven separate raids and repression operations were reportedly carried out between July 29 and August 18, including two operations on August 1 and further raids on August 17 and 18.
Former Palestinian women prisoners have described strip searches, threats, sleep deprivation, severe overcrowding, and detainees being forced to sleep on the floor. Palestinian prisoner organizations say these practices form part of a broader system of collective punishment and degrading treatment.
Palestinian national and human rights organizations have called on international bodies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Health Organization, to intervene immediately to protect Palestinian women prisoners and ensure their basic rights, medical care, and humane treatment.
The latest footage from Damon Prison therefore represents more than a ministerial visit. For Palestinian rights groups, it is another public display of a prison system they say is being used to punish, intimidate, and humiliate Palestinian detainees while their worsening conditions remain largely hidden behind prison walls.
