‘Israeli’ Ofer prison refuses to inform Palestinian detainees of iftar times

• Rights groups say Palestinian detainees in 'Israeli' Ofer prison are being denied adhan times during Ramadan, preventing them from fasting and breaking their fast at the correct hours.

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said Saturday that the administration of 'Israel’s' Ofer prison is refusing to inform detainees of the times for the dawn (Fajr) and sunset (Maghrib) calls to prayer during the holy month of Ramadan, a move it says prevents detainees from observing fasting at the correct times.

In a statement conveyed by its lawyer, the commission said the measure is part of a broader set of policies imposed on detainees that have intensified in recent months, including restrictions on the practice of religious rituals and other basic rights.

Read more: Palestinian detainees unaware of start of Ramadan

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Club said in a separate statement marking the start of Ramadan that more than 9,300 Palestinian and Arab detainees are currently held in 'Israeli' jails. It alleged that detainees are facing what it described as policies of torture, starvation and “slow killing,” calling the current period the most dangerous in the history of the prisoners’ movement.

According to the statement, thousands of detainees have been subjected to what it described as a systematic starvation policy for nearly two and a half years, forcing many to fast on most days due to limited food portions that it said are only sufficient to keep them alive. The group also alleged that detainees have been denied the ability to perform communal prayers, and that some have been prevented from praying or possessing copies of the Quran in certain detention facilities.

The Prisoner’s Club said approximately 70 female detainees are being held in Damon prison and interrogation centers, in addition to around 350 children detained in Megiddo and Ofer prisons. It claimed that women and minors are facing similar conditions, including deprivation and abuse.

The statement further alleged that more than 100 detainees have died in custody in what it described as a “crime of genocide,” adding that the identities of 88 of them have been announced. It claimed that some detainees died as a result of starvation, alongside allegations of torture, mistreatment and sexual assault.

Among those cited was the child Walid Ahmad, whom the group said died of starvation inside prison. It added that hundreds of children remain in detention under harsh conditions and are being denied basic rights.

The organizations also noted that nine detainees have remained in 'Israeli' custody since before the signing of the Oslo Accords, with some held for more than four decades, marking some of the longest continuous detentions in 'Israeli' prisons.