Palestinian Inmate Held in Solitary Confinement Despite Health Problem

The Prisoners and Ex-prisoners Affairs Authority said Israeli prison officials were deliberately neglecting Abu Sorour's health condition and refraining from providing him with necessary treatment or proper food, the Palestinian Information Center reported Sunday. 

 Abu Sorour, a resident of Aida refugee camp north of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, is being held in Sheba Prison where he has lost all his teeth in recent years.

He suffers from acute gum infection, which affects his ability to chew food and causes indigestion.

The prisoners also suffer from stomach and back pain and blurred vision problems.

Abu Sorour was arrested in November 2001 and taken to al-Jalameh investigation center where he had been subjected to severe torture. He was later sentenced to life imprisonment.

He has faced numerous types of torture throughout his long detention over the past years.

In October 2015, Israeli jailers assaulted him and hit him with batons on his head, hands and feet. This led to an injury in the eyes.

Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are held under the so-called administrative detention, in which Israel keeps the detainees for up to six months, a period which can be extended an infinite number of times. Women and minors are among these detainees.

Such detentions take place on orders from a military commander and on the basis of what the Israeli regime describes as ‘secret’ evidence. 

In recent months and in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, several Palestinian prisoners have been infected in an Israeli detention center amid mounting concerns about medical negligence by authorities.

More than 7,000 Palestinians are reportedly held in Israeli jails.