Israeli prisons' medical neglect policy kills 2 Palestinian detainees

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
15 Nov 2024 16:48
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Detainees Samih Alawi and Anwar Asleem were killed in Israeli occupation prisons, amid catastrophic health conditions faced by detainees, particularly in al-Naqab Prison.

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Palestinian detainees Samih Alawi and Anwar Asleem were killed in Israeli occupation prisons in November 2024, due to the policy of medical neglect (Social media)

The General Authority for Civil Affairs, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, and the Palestinian Prisoners Society announced on Friday the martyrdom of two Palestinian detainees who were held in Israeli occupation prisons: 61-year-old Samih Suleiman Muhammad Alawi, from Nablus, and 44-year-old Anwar Shaaban Muhammad Asleem, from Gaza.

Martyrdom of Palestinian detainee Samih Alawi

A joint statement detailed that Alawi was martyred on November 6, 2024, six days after being transferred from the Ramla prison clinic to Assaf Harofeh Hospital. Despite being obligated to do so, prison authorities did not announce his death.

Alawi had been held under administrative detention since October 21, 2023. His health had been deteriorating even before his detention due to a benign intestinal tumor that required surgeries to remove parts of his intestines.

According to a report from a lawyer who visited him in August 2024, Alawi was in dire health, having lost over 40 kilograms due to the policy of medical neglect resulting in a lack of adequate medical treatment in prison. During the visit, Alawi revealed that prison authorities transported him to the clinic in handcuffs, despite his critical condition, and that he received no medical care throughout his detention despite appeals by human rights organizations.

Alawi had spent nearly 10 years in Israeli occupation prisons since his first arrest in 1988. The martyr was married and a father of nine children.

Martyrdom of Palestinian detainee Anwar Asleem

Asleem, who was arrested on December 8, 2023, was martyred on November 14, 2024, after his health deteriorated following his transfer from al-Naqab prison to Soroka Hospital. A joint statement from the two organizations clarified that Asleem had no prior health issues, according to his family, but his condition worsened due to deliberate medical neglect by prison authorities, who failed to provide appropriate care.

Asleem was married and a father of four children.

Systematic neglect as form of murder

The Commission of Detainees Affairs and the Prisoners Society emphasized in their statement that both Alawi and Asleem were victims of systematic crimes committed by the Israeli occupation through slow death and deliberate medical neglect, compounded by repeated abuse and continuous maltreatment of detainees.

The statement added that such crimes are part of a long-standing policy of the occupation against Palestinian detainees, ranging from torture to medical neglect, leaving them to suffer and succumb to illnesses.

It noted the increasing crimes against Palestinian detainees, particularly amid the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza. Many sick detainees have seen their conditions worsen, with the occupation refusing to provide treatment, further increasing the death toll among detainees.

Health crisis at al-Naqab prison

The Commission and the Society further highlighted a worsening health crisis in al-Naqab prison, where a scabies outbreak has infected hundreds of detainees. Prison authorities have weaponized this disease as a form of abuse, exacerbating detainees’ suffering through persistent neglect.

They warned that the catastrophic conditions faced by detainees, especially the sick and injured, will inevitably lead to more deaths in Israeli prisons and camps. The rising number of detainees, coupled with the spread of diseases, has overwhelmed organizations tracking detainees' health.

The statement also confirmed that the number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons has exceeded 10,200 as of early November 2024, including 96 women, over 270 children, and 3,443 administrative detainees, among them 31 women and 100 children. The fate of hundreds of detainees from Gaza remains unknown amid the policy of forced disappearance in camps controlled by the Israeli occupation forces.

Hamas: Martyrdom of Alawi and Asleem exposes slow-killing policy

Hamas stated that the martyrdom of leader Samih Alawi from Nablus and Anwar Asleem from Gaza reflects the escalating crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against detainees.

Hamas emphasized that these crimes are part of a systematic policy of slow and deliberate murder through medical neglect and brutal abuse amounting to torture. The suffering of detainees, which has claimed the lives of many, adds to the occupation's extensive record of blatant violations of international laws and humanitarian norms.

The movement stressed that these practices were a stain on the Israeli occupation and clear evidence of its systematic crimes.