Health of cancer-stricken Daqqa deteriorates amid Israeli neglect

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The Palestinian Prisoners Information Office said that the health condition of cancer-stricken prisoner Walid Daqqa continues to deteriorate after his transfer to the "Ramla" prison clinic.

The office indicated that Daqqa spent 37 days in "Barzilai" Hospital, during which he underwent an operation to remove part of his right lung, while his family held the occupation fully responsible for his life, in the absence of any treatment environment for the rare cancer type that he suffers from.

Last Saturday, a crowd of activists demonstrated in occupied "Haifa" in support of Daqqa, who is in critical health condition, calling for his release to be able to receive the treatment that he deserves.

The participants raised pictures of the prisoner and slogans calling for his freedom and his release and repeated chants calling for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons.

It also held the occupation fully responsible for the life of Daqqa -- who was diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer in 2022 and has since been in dire need of urgent medical attention.

On its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainess in Gaza considered last week that the transfer of Daqqa to the "Ramleh" prison clinic, in light of the seriousness of his health condition, confirms the occupation's insistence on its continuous crime of killing the prisoner, in a slow and systematic manner.

The Palestinian Waed Prisoners Association said the Israeli occupation "took a clear-cut decision to execute and kill prisoner Walid Daqqa with cold blood without caring for all the calls regarding his freedom nor his reception of treatment to help ease his extreme pain."

The Association pointed out that the prisoner needs intensive health follow-up after he underwent an operation to extract part of his lung, as a result of severe infection.

Who is Walid Daqqa

It is noteworthy that Daqqa, 60, from the city of Baqa Al-Gharbiyye, has been detained since 1986 and was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of resisting the occupation. His sentence was later decreased to 37 years.

In 2018, two years were added to his sentence, and a few years ago, his wife, Sanaa Salameh, was able to give birth to their daughter, Milad, after smuggling Daqqa's sperm from prison.

Daqqa is considered one of the most prominent writers and thinkers of the Palestinian Captive Movement.

According to institutions concerned with prisoners' affairs, more than 4,000 Palestinians are currently detained in Israeli occupation prisons.