Disease threatens lives of 600 Palestinian prisoners

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Some 600 Palestinian prisoners are suffering from diseases in the Israeli occupation's prisons, the head of the Studies and Documentation department in the Commission of Detainees and ex-Detainees' Affairs, Abdel Nasser Farwana, said Saturday.

Farwana underlined that the prisoners are going through tragic circumstances, brutal treatment, agonizing torture, and criminality committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli prisons.

"There are many of these prisoners suffering from serious diseases such as cancer, and they are suffering from critical health conditions in light of deliberate medical neglect waged by the occupation's authorities," Farwana said.

Prisoner Nasser Abu Hmeid is "dying in prison, and some prisoners are suffering from physical, psychological, and sensory disabilities," he said, warning that all Palestinian prisoners were being held in inhumane conditions without receiving proper medical care and subjected to medical neglect.

"This issue is exacerbating their suffering and worsening their health condition, and it could lead to the martyrdom of some of them as happened with some before," Farwana noted.

The official called on all agencies and organizations involved in the rights of prisoners and human rights to "advocate for the prisoners of Palestine in agreement  with each other and develop a joint vision for internationalizing the medical issue, as well as launch a serious international campaign to save the lives of ill prisoners and protect other prisoners from the danger of catching diseases in the Israeli prisons."

Prisoner Abu Hmeid sick with cancer, occupation refusing to release him

Abu Hmeid's brother had told Al Mayadeen two days ago that his brother was being subjected to slow death through medical neglect. "The latest medical report calls for my brother's release, but the Israeli occupation is yet to respond to it."

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said Thursday that Nasser Abu Hmeid, a critically-ill Palestinian prisoner and cancer patient serving a life sentence in Israeli occupation prisons, is currently battling death due to his worsening health condition.

On its part, Wa’ed Prisoners Association warned that Abu Hmied has reached a dangerous stage, noting that cancer has spread to the prisoner's body about a year and a half ago.

The Association underlined that the Israeli occupation committed a crime of systematic medical negligence against Abu Hmeid with the aim of slowly killing him.

It pointed out that the Israeli "Asaf Harofeh" hospital relinquished its medical responsibility for the cancer-stricken prisoner and recommended his release, while the move came after Abu Hmeid entered the clinical death stage.