WEST BANK (Dispatches) – The Zionist regime’s public prosecution announced that it would oppose the early release of long-term Palestinian prisoner Walid Daqqa on the grounds that he suffers from terminal cancer.
Daqqa, who has been detained since 1986, was diagnosed with a rare type of bone marrow cancer several months ago and has been in and out of hospitals due to successive health setbacks.
The occupying regime’s prison service’s (IPS) medical administration said after diagnosing him that “his days are numbered and there is an immediate risk to his life”.
Sana Salama, Daqqa’s wife, told Middle East Eye that the 60-year-old prisoner is currently in intensive care receiving intensive antibiotics to treat a new lung infection.
“We hope that his condition will not deteriorate and he won’t be placed on ventilators, as happened after his last surgery,” Salama said.
Like other Palestinian prisoners, Daqqa, who was previously diagnosed with leukemia in 2015, has suffered from medical negligence during his 37 years in prison, which has worsened his health.
According to Salama, Daqqa underwent a lung resection operation due to severe pneumonia and was hospitalized for over a month at the Barzilai Hospital in Israel.
“He also suffers from severe kidney failure and low blood pressure. After the surgery, he was unable to speak, but he’s been unable to move or walk unassisted,” she said.
Daqqa’s deteriorating health since the surgery has put a strain on his family, prompting them to submit a request to the Israeli court for early parole.
However, according to Israeli media, the regime’s prosecutor intends to reject the request.
On Tuesday, the occupying regime’s far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote on social media that he has instructed the IPS to examine how the request was admitted to the “ordinary parole committee” instead of the “parole committee for security prisoners”.
Ben-Gvir also said Daqqa “should end his life in prison”.
But Salama said: “I am optimistic that Walid will come out soon and be with us, even if the request for early release is rejected, I won’t hesitate to knock on any legal door until he is released.”
“Walid deserves freedom and life outside the hateful prison.”