Barbs

⭕️ Jenin journalist Mujahed Al-Saadi, held for 22 months in administrative detention without charge, wrote for Drop Site about life inside Israel's Megiddo prison, where he lost nearly a third of his body weight: “Megiddo prison consists of 10 sections. Each section contains 16 cells, with 10 prisoners held in each cell, in a space no larger than 20 square meters (around 215 square feet). At the end of each cell, there is a single bathroom shared by the 10 prisoners. I was taken into one of the cells and thrown onto the floor. I spent the first night without a mattress or a blanket. A day later, I was given a thin mattress that reeked—it was probably more than 10 years old. This was how the ritual of abuse and torture began, with prisoners deprived of even their most basic rights. There was hardly any food given to us. The morning meal consisted of no more than 50 grams of yogurt, a few small pieces of cucumber or tomato, and three slices of bread. Meals like this were distributed to all the prisoners. This was the first thing I was given to eat in the 48 hours since my arrest. Lunch consisted of no more than 30 grams of rice and around 50 grams of legumes, such as chickpeas. The food was served cold. Dinner was just as meager: no more than one egg, 10 grams of hummus, and a few slices of bell pepper. I weighed 89 kilograms when I was arrested and 59 kilograms when I was released—I lost nearly a third of my weight during my imprisonment. Since October 7, 2023, the occupation has both reduced the amount of food provided to prisoners and shut down the “cantina,” or “market,” inside each prison section where detainees used to be able to buy personal hygiene products as well as some food and canned goods they could take into the kitchen and prepare themselves. Some prisoners would save their breakfast, lunch, and dinner and eat all three together as a single meal—just so they could feel full. An adult male typically needs between 1,500 and 2,000 calories a day, but the three meals we were given amounted to no more than 5% of that. And that’s not to mention the poor quality of the food. Personal hygiene items were also taken away or withheld from us, including toothbrushes, razors, and nail clippers, along with other basic personal cleaning supplies. My first shower was a full 15 days after my arrest, when I received my first 30-gram packet of shampoo. We would receive just one shampoo packet per week for bathing or any other use. Deprivation of basic hygiene products led to some 95% of prisoners contracting scabies, a skin condition that spread because of poor hygiene, a severe shortage of cleaning supplies, and a lack of clothing. The shortage of clothes was so severe that prisoners were often forced to share. Scabies is so pervasive and persists for so long in prison, that some prisoners have attempted suicide because of it. Symptoms include rashes that appear all over the body and on sensitive areas, accompanied by constant, distressing itching that prevents prisoners from sleeping or resting. Boils develop that discharge infected blood. Prisoners have also been martyred as a result of systematic medical neglect. One prisoner developed boils on his body near his heart—they burst, causing internal bleeding and infection inside his body.” 🔗 Read his full account linked below. 📸 1: Mujahed Al-Saadi reporting from Jenin on June 5, 2024. 2:Mujahed Al-Saadi with colleagues in Jenin on April 22, 2024. Photos courtesy of Mujahed Al-Saadi. 3: Mujahed Al-Saadi immediately after his release from prison on July 14, 2026. 4: Mujahed Al-Saadi in Jenin on September 30, 2026.