Palestinian held in Israeli jail dies

A Palestinian prisoner who had been held in the Israeli prison Eshel has died in the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

The Israel Prison Service raised the alert level following the death of Raed Abdel Salam Al-Jaabari, 35, who had been in Israeli custody since July 26.

Issa Qaraqaa, who heads the Palestinian committee responsible for prisoners and freed prisoners, said that Jaabari was not suffering from any diseases. He was admitted to the Soroka hospital in Beersheba yesterday morning. Qaraqaa held the Israeli authorities responsible for Jaabari’s death.

He called for the formation of an international committee to investigate the cause of his death.

“Jaabari had been held in the Ofer Prison before he got transferred to Eshel prison. It seems that he was tortured during the process of his transfer at the hands of the Nahshon forces or by the Israel Prison Service,” Qaraqaa said.

“The Israelis say he tried to hang himself but it is not true. It is a lie,” he said. “This is a war crime.” The prison service had informed a number of prisoners that Jaabari hung himself.