Ill Palestinian prisoner dies because of ‘deliberate medical negligence’ in Israeli jail

Fares Baroud, a resident of the al-Shati refugee camp in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, died on Wednesday evening, only hours after being suddenly transferred to intensive care from Ramon prison in the Israeli-occupied territories.

The late 51-year-old was suffering from a number of health conditions, including a hernia and liver disease, and had repeatedly spoken about medical neglect and denial of necessary health treatment to Palestinian inmates.

Baroud had earlier lost 80 percent of his eyesight due to a vision problem and Israeli prison officials had delayed the required treatment for four consecutive months.

Israeli authorities had also denied him of family visits for 18 years.

Baroud was arrested in 1991, and was supposed to be released in 2013 as part of negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and the Tel Aviv regime. Israeli officials, however, reneged on the agreement, refusing to release the final 30 prisoners, including him.

Director of the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office, Nahed al-Fakhouri, described Baroud’s death at the hands of Israeli officials as a “heinous crime,” stating that it reflects the criminal policies pursued by the Israel Prison Service against Palestinian detainees.

Moreover, Hamas resistance movement held the Israeli regime fully responsible for the death of the Palestinian prisoner.

It argued that the deliberate medical neglect policy pursued by Israeli prison officials against Palestinian inmates amounts to a “crime against humanity,” calling on international humanitarian and legal organizations to act urgently to save the lives of thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas further stressed that Israel’s heinous crimes will never break the Palestinian detainees’ will.

Some 7,000 Palestinians are currently behind bars in 17 Israeli prisons and detention centers, according to reports. 

More than 400 Palestinians are being held without trial under so-called administrative detention, which is a policy according to which Palestinian inmates are kept in Israeli detention facilities without trial or charge. Some Palestinian prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.

Furthermore, a total of 13 Palestinian lawmakers are currently held in Israeli detention facilities, nine of whom under administrative detention.