Gaza: The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) has accused the Israeli Prison Service of systematically using rubber bullets as a punitive measure against Palestinian detainees. The organization revealed this alarming trend on Monday, highlighting its growing prevalence in recent months.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, this practice has affected dozens of prisoners, with relevant organizations documenting numerous cases. However, the actual number of affected individuals is believed to be much higher due to severe restrictions on prisoner visits and isolation measures imposed by Israeli authorities. These restrictions hinder proper documentation of the violations endured by many detainees.
In a statement, the PPS noted that several cases of injuries caused by rubber-coated bullets have been followed up, revealing severe bleeding and trauma in sensitive body areas. Some prisoners required surgical intervention due to the severity of their wounds. A particular case involved a prisoner who was informed by doctors that he might need a limb amputation due to the injury's complications. Many injured detainees still require urgent medical attention but face a deliberate denial of treatment, which has become a tool for slow killing inside Israeli prisons.
The PPS further stated that prison administrations have recently increased their repressive measures, introducing new types of weapons used in torture and assaults. The detainees' bodies have become testing grounds for oppression and violence tools, especially since the ongoing genocide began. This escalation of brutality and torture against prisoners is even promoted through Israeli media outlets.
The PPS emphasized that the violence level inside Israeli prisons has reached unprecedented heights. The crimes committed against prisoners now exceed traditional violation descriptions, turning prisons into comprehensive systems for producing torture and extermination, involving physical and psychological abuse, starvation, denial of medical treatment, solitary confinement, and systematic assaults.
The organization insists that these actions are part of a broader policy aimed at breaking prisoners physically and psychologically, reflecting ongoing crimes by Israeli authorities against the Palestinian people. Additionally, the impact of rubber bullet injuries extends beyond physical harm, leaving prisoners with long-term psychological trauma due to repeated raids, assaults, and intimidation in a torture-laden detention environment lacking basic legal and humanitarian protections.
The PPS has reiterated its call to the international human rights system, including the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and relevant international mechanisms, to take immediate action to halt these escalating crimes against Palestinian prisoners and hold Israeli occupation leaders accountable. It asserts that these actions constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and the Convention against Torture, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity that demand prosecution and accountability.