Palestinians hold Israel responsible for cancer patient’s death

Palestinian political prisoner Sami Abu Diak died in prison due to medical negligence, 19 November 2019 [Twitter]

The Palestinian presidency has held Israel responsible for the death of Palestinian prisoner and cancer patient Sami Abu Diak yesterday.

In a statement published on the Palestinian official news agency Wafa that Abu Diak died because of “deliberate medical negligence” by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS).

The Fatah movement also blamed the Israeli government for Abu Diak’s death which it said “amounts to a war crime committed by the Israeli Prison Service”.

Hamas also held Israel responsible, saying the IPS deliberately denied him the necessary treatment in order to kill him.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) said in a statement that 36-year-old Abu Diak died of cancer, explaining that his health had been deteriorating over many months.

Abu Diak is the fourth Palestinian prisoner to die in Israeli prisons since the beginning of this year. Israel detains nearly 6,000 Palestinians including women and children.

READ: The political isolation of Palestinian prisoners

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