There are 31 female prisoners and 160 male and female prisoners in the occupation prisons, according to a joint report for the year 2023 issued by the Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, the Addameer Foundation for Prisoner Care and Human Rights, and the Wadi Hilweh Center in Jerusalem.
During the year 2023, human rights organizations recorded about 2,300 arrests, including “more than 350 children, the majority of whom are from Jerusalem, and 40 women and girls.” Among the oldest female prisoners languishing in occupation prisons are:
Maysoon Musa Al-Jabali
Prisoner Maysoon Musa Al-Habali was born in 1995, to a family from the village of Al-Shawara, east of the city of Bethlehem. She is a sister of 7 brothers and 5 sisters. After completing her high school studies, she joined Al-Quds University in Abu Dis to study English literature, but she did not complete her studies, as she was arrested in 2015.
Al-Jabali was arrested on June 29, 2015 after she stabbed an Israeli female soldier at the “Rachel’s Dome” checkpoint, injuring her with minor and moderate injuries, but the occupation soldiers were able to control Maysoon and arrest her after severely beating her.
At the same time, the occupation forces stormed the house of the Maysoon family, east of Bethlehem, in a thorough search operation, destroyed many of its contents, and attacked a number of family members.
The ruling in Maysoon’s case was postponed 14 times before she was sentenced to 16 years in prison in November 2016, and she will serve her sentence in Damoun Prison.
She was named the Dean of Female Prisoners at the end of 2021, as she became the oldest Palestinian female prisoner still in Israeli prisons, after the release of Amal Taqatqa, who was older than her, and her sentence ended in December 2021.
Rawan Nafez Muhammad Abu Matar
Prisoner Rawan was born in 1994, and her roots go back to the village of Beitlo, Ramallah district. On July 15, 2015, the occupation forces opened fire on her directly without wounding her at the entrance to the town. Then the occupation soldiers attacked her, assaulted her, severely beat her, and arrested her. She was transferred to an investigation center. “Ofer”, where she was subjected to severe interrogation before being transferred to Hasharon Prison, then Damon Prison.
The occupation authorities charged Rawan with assaulting a soldier by stabbing him and injuring him with minor injuries. Her trial was postponed 11 times under the pretext of completing judicial procedures. Then, in 2016, she was sentenced to 9 years in prison and a fine of 4,000 shekels.
The assault on her during arrest led to her suffering several neck and back fractures, stomach and nose diseases, and she suffers from a constantly deteriorating health condition due to the prison administration’s neglect of her health condition and intentionally depriving her of treatment.
Shorouk Salah Ibrahim Dwayyat
Shorouk is a resident of the Jerusalem Governorate, specifically from the village of Sur Baher, located in the southeast of the city of Jerusalem, and when she was arrested, she was studying at Bethlehem University.
When she was arrested on October 7, 2015, Shorouk was heading to pray in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, when a settler tried to take off her hijab, so she defended herself, then settlers’ bullets rained down on her, hitting her in the chest, shoulder, and neck from a close range.
The university student in Bethlehem was no more than 18 years old at the time, and even though she did not carry any weapon, the occupation accused her of trying to stab a settler. Despite her serious injuries, they kept her on the ground for half an hour before they took her to prison and sentenced her to 16 years. She remained in a hospital bleeding for 4 days before Performing the surgery.
The court charged her with attempted murder by stabbing with a knife and sustaining moderate wounds, and attached it to settlers’ testimonies claiming that she attempted the stabbing without the alleged weapon. Despite her health condition as a result of the injuries, she suffered from harsh treatment, did not receive appropriate treatment, and was deprived of visiting her family.
Israa Jaabis
A Jerusalemite prisoner from the village of Jabal Mukaber, south of Jerusalem. She was born in 1986. She holds a Jerusalem ID. She is married and has a child named Moatasem. Her husband holds a Palestinian ID that does not enable him to enter Jerusalem except with a special permit. In 2008, Israa applied for reunification with her husband, but her request was rejected several times despite the costs she paid.
On October 11, 2015, while Israa was returning from the city of Jericho to Jerusalem, near Al-Zaeem checkpoint, her car broke down, so the occupation forces opened fire on the car, which led to the explosion of a gas cylinder it was in and the outbreak of a large fire, according to what her family reported regarding the details of the incident.
As a result, Israa suffered burns ranging from the first to the third degree, affecting 50% to 60% of her body. She lost all the fingers on her hands, her face was disfigured, her ears were attached to her head, and she lost her ability to raise her hands as a result of skin adhesions in various areas.
However, the occupation authorities arrested her on charges of attempting to kill an Israeli soldier, sentenced her to 11 years in prison, prevented her from receiving the treatment she needed, and deliberately neglected her despite her need for eight surgeries. The prison administration also prevented her from the painkillers and medications she needed, and contented herself with providing ointment to cool the burns. Its capacity exceeds 20 mm, which is dispensed to her every 3 days, which is a small amount that is not enough to cover all the burn areas on Israa’s body.
Israa’s family tried, through local and international humanitarian institutions, to obtain permission to admit a doctor to treat their daughter, covering all expenses, but the Israeli prison administration refused to do so. Activists launched several electronic campaigns and published several hashtags on the “X” website in an attempt to release her, but all The attempts were rejected.
Good quality early fun
When Marah – who is from the Beit Hanina area, north of Jerusalem – was arrested on October 12, 2015, she was on her way out of her school located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, crossing the street in the opposite direction before the occupation rained 14 bullets on her, hitting her hand and knocking her to the ground. A young man from Jerusalem who helped her was also shot, accusing him of planning with her.
Marah, a 16-year-old girl, was arrested on charges of trying to stab an Israeli soldier who shot her with his gun. The occupation refused to perform surgery on her, so she continued to suffer from pain in her hand and a severe lack of iron.
The bullets caused nerve damage exceeding 80% in her left hand, and she was prevented from entering the operating room on charges of “terrorism.” She was transferred between Ramla, Ashkelon, Hasharon, and Damoun prisons, and her family was not able to see her until 3 months after her arrest, and she was sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison.
Despite her pain and affliction, she completed her high school diploma inside the cell, and obtained an average of 80%. The authority refused her admission to university, stipulating that there be five female detainees holding master’s degrees.
Nourhan Ibrahim Khader Awad
Nourhan was raised in Qalandia camp, and educated in Kafr Aqab. She was arrested in the ninth grade, and was transferred to several prisons until she ended up in Damoun prison. She obtained high school while in captivity with a grade of 94% in the literary branch, and continued her education at Al-Quds Open University. Majoring in history.
The occupation arrested Nourhan on November 23, 2015, after targeting her with 3 bullets in her back, leg, and stomach, while her relative, Hadeel Awad, who was with her, was martyred, and that day she was in one of the streets of occupied Jerusalem while heading to pray in Jerusalem.
Awad was charged with carrying out a stabbing attack on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem. The court sentenced her to 13 and a half years in prison and a fine of 30,000 shekels. She obtained an appeal that reduced her sentence by 3 and a half years.
Nourhan is still suffering from severe pain as a result of the bullet in her stomach, and the occupation refuses to perform any surgery on her, and deprives her of her right to treatment.
Shatila Abu Eyada
Shatila was born in 1993 to a Bedouin family living in the town of Kafr Qasem in the 1948 territories. She is the youngest daughter in a family of 9 brothers and sisters. She grew up in a conservative family.
Before her arrest, Shatila was a university student in her second year majoring in psychology, and her mother says that the occupation forces arrested her while she was returning from university, on April 3, 2016, and severely beat her before handcuffing her and taking her to Al-Jalama prison for investigation, where there was no news of her and her family prevented her from being arrested. She visited for a whole month. Then she was transferred to Hasharon Prison.
Shatila was put on trial for a full year before her ruling was pronounced, as she was accused of carrying out a stabbing attack in the Triangle area near Ras al-Ain. The occupation prosecution presented a list of charges that included attempted murder, learning to install explosive devices via the Internet, and possessing materials for this purpose.
She was sentenced to 16 years in prison and a fine of 100,000 shekels. She tried to appeal several times, but the court rejected it.
The occupation prevented her from completing her education after her arrest, and her name was removed from the Ministry of Education.
Amani Al-Hashim
Amani Al-Hashem is a Jerusalemite prisoner, mother of two children (Adam and Ahmed). She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and diplomatic studies, and completed a master’s degree in administration and planning from Al-Quds University, in addition to obtaining a diploma in the Italian language.
She was arrested on December 13, 2016 after she was shot while driving her car at the Qalandiya military checkpoint, north of occupied Jerusalem, while returning to her home in the Beit Hanina neighborhood. She was then subjected to field investigation, then transferred to the “Al-Maskobiyya” investigation center and ended up in prison. Damoun prison.
She was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a fine of 5,000 shekels in compensation for one of the soldiers whom the occupation said she ran over at the checkpoint, after more than 20 trial sessions were held for her. Amani was punished with solitary confinement for more than 70 days, after she objected to the enemy’s policy against female prisoners.
Amani defied the difficult conditions of her detention, experimented with prison literature, and published the book “Determination Fosters Hope.” Thus, she became the first prisoner to produce a literary work inside prisons. Many academic courses were organized inside the prison for female prisoners.
Aisha Al-Afghani
Aisha Yousef Abdullah Al-Afghani was born in 1983. She comes from the Ras Al-Amoud neighborhood in the town of Silwan, next to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. During her arrest, she was able to obtain a high school diploma.
She was known for her love of reading, writing, cooking, and making sweets with the simplest materials. She learned tennis in prison, and practiced it with her colleagues in the prison arena.
The occupation forces arrested Aisha on December 24, 2016, on Al-Wad Street in the Old City of Jerusalem, and she was charged with possession of a knife and intent to carry out a stabbing attack. She was transferred to investigation in Al-Maskobiyya detention center, where she was tortured for more than a month, then the military prosecution convicted her of the charge. Carrying out an appeal.
The occupation authorities delayed her trial, postponed court sessions 17 times, and detained her for more than 3 years before issuing a 15-year prison sentence against her. She is serving her sentence in Damoun Prison. She suffers from multiple health problems, and the prison administration denies her treatment.
Fadwa Hamada
Fadwa Nazih Kamal Hamada was born on November 10, 1987. She is from the town of Sur Baher, south of occupied Jerusalem. She studied hotel management and accounting in Ramallah. She is a mother of 5 children, the youngest of whom was 4 months old and the eldest of whom was 8 years old when their mother was arrested.
She was arrested on August 12, 2017 in front of Damascus Gate while she was going to her doctor. The occupation accused her of attempting to carry out a stabbing attack, and then her husband was arrested immediately after storming their house.
She and her husband continued to be detained for two weeks without anyone knowing their whereabouts. The occupation authorities tried to convince her to confess to the charge against her, then they threatened to harm her children and demolish her house, but to no avail. The occupation released her husband while she remained awaiting trial.
Her trial was postponed for 18 months, until she was sentenced to 20 years in prison and a fine of 30,000 shekels. Then the sentence was appealed and reduced to 10 years. It was her first visit to her children after a year and a half of detention. She was then able to see them from behind the insulated glass separating them.
Hamada suffered from difficult detention conditions, as she was placed near criminal prisoners who deliberately knocked on walls and screamed all night long in order to deprive her of rest and sleep. She was subjected to solitary confinement twice, the first in Jalama Prison for 73 consecutive days, and the second lasting 105 days, and she lived in difficult conditions in Damoun Prison. Especially on cold days.
Fadwa confronted an Israeli prison guard who tried to insult one of her fellow prisoners, which led to her and the freed prisoner Jihan Hashima being isolated for more than 70 days, in addition to more punishments, including having her hands and feet shackled during the visit, which led to her stumbling and breaking her foot.
Source : Palestinian press + Websites
