Palestine's Asra [Prisoners] Media Office revealed that Palestinian national leader Ahmad Saadat, 72, was violently assaulted by Israeli prison forces immediately upon his transfer to the Ganot Prison, after previously being held in solitary confinement in Megiddo Prison.

According to testimonies received by the office, Saadat was beaten “savagely” the moment he arrived at the section of the complex where detainees are held in solitary confinement. Saadat’s family, who managed to visit him in Megiddo at the beginning of November, said they were only recently informed of his transfer to Ganot.

They noted that the 72-year-old leader had already suffered a sharp and worrying drop in weight, and that his cell in Megiddo had been repeatedly stormed by Israeli special units, alongside constant searches, ongoing threats, and harsh mistreatment by jailers.

Repeated beatings and retaliatory abuse

The Asra Media Office stated that Saadat has been subjected to multiple physical assaults over recent months, describing the attacks as part of a “personal revenge policy” pursued by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS).

In March, after his transfer from Ramon Prison to Megiddo, occupation forces beat him, covered his head, and left him in the prison yard for three hours. During that period, he contracted scabies multiple times as a result of poor conditions and medical neglect.

The office stressed that the assault constitutes a “full-fledged crime” and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, accusing the occupation of deliberately targeting symbols of the Palestinian national movement inside prisons.

It held the IPS fully responsible for Saadat’s life and called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and international human rights bodies to intervene immediately to halt the violations, end his isolation, and secure his release.

Read more: Israeli settlers assault Palestinians across West Bank

Ganot isolation: A tool for silencing Palestinians

Ganot Prison’s isolation wing has become a source of deep concern for the families of Palestinian detainees, as lawyer visits have become nearly impossible since the start of "Israel’s" intensified prison crackdown after October 7. This has enabled IPS officers to single out leaders of the detainees’ movement and subject them to systematic beatings, retaliatory measures, and uninterrupted psychological pressure.

Detainees’ families continue to urge the ICRC and international institutions to pressure "Israel" to restore visitation rights, as the occupation continues to threaten freed detainees with re-detainment if they expose the abuses taking place inside the prisons.

According to testimonies from detainees recently visited in Ganot, Saadat was attacked immediately after his arrival, mirroring the previous pattern of physical assaults and punitive measures he faced in Megiddo.

Years of isolation, medical neglect, political reprisal

The office reaffirmed that Saadat had endured a severe drop in weight and repeated cell raids in Megiddo, as well as consistent threats and mistreatment. The attacks, it stressed, were clearly intended to punish his symbolic standing within the Palestinian detainees’ movement.

Ahmad Saadat has been imprisoned since 15 March 2006 after being abducted from Areeha Prison, and is serving a 30-year sentence on charges related to his position within the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Since his abduction, "Israel" has consistently subjected him to isolation, transfers, and punitive measures aimed at weakening both his physical condition and his influence among prisoners and the broader Palestinian public.

Read more: 'Israel' under fire over bill to execute Palestinian detainees