Human Lives Human Rights: The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) reported that a former political prisoner, who was held by Israel and denied medical treatment, has died while receiving the needed medical attention in Turkey.
Montaser Sammour, the head of the PPS office in Jenin, in northern West Bank, said the deceased man has been identified as Mohammad Hasan Shabrawi, 38, from Jenin refugee camp.
Despite being released three years ago, and undergoing treatment in the West Bank, Shabrawi faced numerous complications, before he was transferred to a hospital in Turkey, and was supposed to undergo and kidney transplant, but died on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) says nine Palestinian inmates are still on hunger strike in Israeli prisons in protest at their indefinite and unfair imprisonment without charge at the hands of the Tel Aviv regime.
The non-governmental organization said in a press release that the longest hunger-striker is 40-year-old Salem Ziadat, who has been rejecting food for 42 consecutive days.
The PSS added that the hunger-striking prisoners are experiencing difficult health conditions exacerbated by the Israeli authorities’ failure to hear their demands”.
It has become common for Palestinians in Israeli prisons to go on hunger strike.
The action is in protest against Israel’s administrative detention and the prison authorities’ negligence in providing medical care for the Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli jail authorities keep Palestinian prisoners under deplorable conditions lacking proper hygienic standards.
Palestinian inmates have also been subjected to systematic torture, harassment and repression.
Human rights organizations say Israel violates all the rights and freedoms granted to prisoners by the fourth Geneva Convention.
There are reportedly more than 7,000 Palestinians held at Israeli jails. Hundreds of the inmates have been apparently incarcerated under the practice of administrative detention.
The Israeli parliament, Knesset, has already approved a law that made way for prison officials to force-feed hunger strikers if their condition becomes life-threatening. The law sparked criticism from rights groups as a disrespect to the detainees’ choices.
Rights groups describe Israel’s use of administrative detention as a “bankrupt tactic” and have long called on Israel to bring its use to an end.
