Palestine prisoner dies of medical negligence in Israel jails

A Palestinian political prisoner being held in Israel’s Ofer Prison collapsed due to medical negligence and died yesterday evening, the Israel Prison Service said.

Daud Al-Khatib, 45, had been serving a sentence of 18 years and eight months for his resistance activities against the Israeli occupation. He had been in Israeli jails since 2002.

He was a member of the Palestinian Fatah faction and was arrested during the Second Intifada.

Prison services said he collapsed in his cell and efforts by prison authorities and medics to revive him failed.

No cause of his death has been released yet, official Palestinian sources said, but reports stated that he had suffered from chronic illnesses and the Israeli prison services did not provide him with adequate medical support. He was only given painkillers.

Following his death, other prisoners began banging on doors protesting against the intentional medical negligence they suffer.

Since 1967, 226 Palestinians have died inside Israeli prisons, according to the Palestinian Authority, stressing that the main reason for their death is Israel’s intentional medical negligence.

Report: Israel arrested 429 Palestinians in July, including 32 minors