Palestinian prisoner rights organizations issued a joint statement on Sunday, placing full responsibility on Israeli occupation authorities for the fate of journalist Bishra al-Tal, 33, from the city of Bil’in. The declaration follows nearly a month of her isolation in the cells of Nofei Tarsha prison, after she was transferred from the isolation units at Damoun prison.
The organizations warned that al-Tal’s case reflects a continuous escalation against Palestinian female prisoners, characterized by isolation, repression, worsening health conditions, and the spread of diseases. They demanded her immediate release and an end to her solitary confinement. Al-Tal has been held under administrative detention since February 2026. She is the daughter of administrative detainee Jamal al-Tal, a situation the organizations stated exemplifies the ongoing policy of detaining family members across generations.
According to the statement, al-Tal is one of 21 female prisoners currently held under administrative detention out of a total of 88 women in Israeli prisons. This figure includes 35 mothers and two pregnant detainees, following the recent release of Suha al-Za’aq from Beit Amr village. The organizations highlighted a surge in isolation policies against female prisoners since March 2026, noting that prison administration transfers inmates to isolation within Damoun prison without informing them of the reasons. Furthermore, they described humiliating procedures imposed on these women, including being forced to lie on their stomachs with hands bound behind their backs and being photographed during the process.
Concerns were also raised regarding the outbreak of scabies among female prisoners. The organizations criticized the prison administration for refusing to acknowledge the illness and providing no treatment. They called upon the World Health Organization and international human rights institutions to intervene urgently to stop what they termed systematic medical crimes against prisoners.
The Palestinian Prisoners Club announced in late August that journalist Bishra al-Tal had been moved from Damoun prison to isolation at Ramla prison, approximately six months after her arrest and conversion to administrative detention. Al-Tal was initially arrested in February 2026, having faced multiple arrests since 2011 when she was 18 years old, most of which were administrative. Her father, Jamal al-Tal, remains detained in Israeli prisons after years of administrative detention.
The statement further noted that al-Tal’s family has faced harassment and targeting through repeated raids on their home. These incursions accompanied the arrests of Bishra and her father, resulting in the destruction and looting of household contents.
