The suffering of Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli prisons continues, as the harshness of detention is compounded by physical assaults, sleep deprivation, and medical neglect. Under such conditions, illness and injury become a daily ordeal with little or no access to treatment.

The latest letter conveyed by his lawyer from detained physician Hussam Abu Safiya sheds light on part of this suffering. He described being repeatedly beaten on different parts of his body, including sensitive areas, using hands, feet, and batons. He also said that such assaults are repeated following visits by lawyers.

Abu Safiya said he is also subjected to deliberate sleep deprivation through the creation of noise and the use of loudspeakers during nighttime hours, in addition to being threatened and warned against conveying any information to his lawyers about the conditions of his detention.

According to his testimony, the effects of the assaults were not temporary. He had previously sustained injuries to his head, face, and other parts of his body. Records from the Israeli Prison Service also documented an injury to his left eye, along with complaints of head and chest injuries.

Behind prison walls, the suffering does not end with physical assaults. Other prisoners are enduring illnesses and health complications amid inadequate medical care.

The Prisoners' Media Office confirmed that a number of prisoners in the Negev Prison are suffering from hemorrhoids and severe pain, with some cases developing into recurrent bleeding amid a lack of necessary treatment and medical care.

The office explained that chronic constipation, caused by insufficient and poor-quality food, a lack of dietary fiber, and inadequate drinking water, has contributed to the onset and dangerous worsening of hemorrhoids. Some prisoners, it said, are living with persistent pain that prevents them from sleeping day and night.

Despite their continued suffering, the office said prison authorities have ignored prisoners' demands for medical examinations and appropriate medication, turning medically treatable conditions into a source of persistent pain that weakens prisoners' bodies and threatens their health.

The situation is further compounded by the testimony of one prisoner who said his suffering began after he was subjected to a severe assault during interrogation at the Sde Teiman detention facility. According to the Prisoners' Media Office, he continues to suffer from severe pain and recurrent bleeding to this day.

These accounts illustrate the multiple forms of suffering endured behind bars. A physician who was meant to practice his profession and save patients instead finds himself detained, describing assaults he says he has endured inside prison. Other prisoners struggle with chronic illnesses and persistent pain without receiving the treatment they need.

Amid beatings, sleep deprivation, and medical neglect, prisoners' bodies appear to have become another arena of suffering, while requests for medication or medical examinations become deferred rights in the harsh reality of detention.

If substantiated, these testimonies warrant an independent and transparent investigation into the conditions in which prisoners are being held, immediate access to medical care, verification of allegations of torture and ill-treatment, and accountability for those responsible. Such measures are essential to safeguarding the dignity of prisoners and their fundamental rights, which do not disappear behind bars.