Palestinian doctor alleges abuse, neglect in Israeli prison

Dr Mazen Rantisi, a 71-year-old Palestinian physician known for providing care to low-income Palestinians, has alleged that Israeli authorities subjected him to physical abuse and medical neglect since his detention on June 21. According to a report in Haaretz, Rantisi told a lawyer from the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel that prison officials withheld his regular medication for the first ten days of his incarceration in Ofer prison and continue to deny him one of his prescribed medicines.

Rantisi also reported that his requests for medical attention were ignored, with a medic only checking his pulse through a cell door opening. He described experiencing physical violence, including cell raids multiple times a week and tear gas deployment, during which younger inmates reportedly protected him by taking the beatings themselves.

His lawyer, Saja Mishraki-Baransa, noted that Rantisi has lost significant weight due to receiving small portions of food described as unfit for consumption, including mouldy bread and rotten tomatoes. The cell conditions were also described as overcrowded, with ten prisoners sharing a six-bed cell and sleeping on mattresses on the floor, lacking cleaning supplies and sharing a single bar of soap. Mouldy mattresses and pest infestations were also reported.

The Israel Prison Service has rejected Rantisi's account, stating that all prisoners are held in accordance with the law. However, Rantisi's claims echo broader concerns about deteriorating prison conditions and rights violations for Palestinian detainees, as noted in a Public Defender’s Office report from the previous year.