‘10,400 Palestinians Held in Israeli Prisons’

Palestinian Dies Due to Medical Negligence He Faced in Israeli Prisons

Date: 10 January 2025 - 22:54

News ID: ۱۳۵۶۶۳

WEST BANK (Dispatches) – Palestinian
prisoners advocacy groups have confirmed the death of former prisoner Ismail Taqatqa five months after his release, due to systematic medical negligence in Israeli prisons.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society confirmed that Taqatqa passed away in Jordan.
Taqatqa, who hailed from the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, had no prior health issues before his arrest in March 2024. Upon his release on August 29, 2024, Taqatqa was diagnosed with leukemia, a result of systematic medical negligence during his detention.
His condition deteriorated rapidly while in Ofer Prison, leading to his transfer to Hadassah Hospital where it became clear that he needed a bone marrow transplant.
They then proceeded to release him from custody while he was hospitalized, on certain conditions.
The delay and obstructions imposed by the occupying regime contributed to his worsening health and eventual death.
The commission and the society highlighted that Taqatqa’s case raises significant and ongoing questions about the fate of thousands of detainees in Israeli prisons.
The rights groups stated that Taqatqa is the latest known victim of the systematic medical crimes perpetrated by the Israeli prison system against thousands of prisoners who have been subjected to unprecedented systematic torture since the beginning of Israeli aggression in Gaza.
Palestinian prisoners’ advocacy groups say at least 10,400 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails as of this month.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs made the announcement in a joint statement issued on Thursday.
According to the statement, 320 children and 87 women are among the detainees.
The groups noted that the number of Palestinians held under Israel’s so-called administrative detention policy has also reached 3,376, including 22 women and 95 children.
Under its policy of administrative detention, the occupying regime detains Palestinians without trial or charge for up to six months; a period which can be extended for an indefinite number of times. Some prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.
The updated figures come while Israel continues to conceal the actual number of Palestinians detained during its ongoing war on Gaza.
The update on the number of Palestinian prisoners comes amid reports of torture and mistreatment of detainees in Israeli prisons.
Medical crimes and denial of treatment have been the primary tools for executing systematic killings of dozens of prisoners since the Israeli war began in Gaza, rights groups say.