Hamas denounces Israel’s slow death policy, medical negligence of 600 sick prisoners

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has criticised Israel for the medical negligence of 600 sick Palestinian prisoners inside its jails, a statement revealed on Saturday.

This came following the death of Palestinian prisoners Ahmad Abu Ali, 48, from Hebron, as a result of years of medical negligence.

According to the statement, Hamas asserted: “The Israeli occupation is fully responsible for the slow killing of the prisoner Abu Ali, who suffered from chronic illnesses, and the Israeli occupation authorities refused to offer healthcare for him.”

Hamas statement stated that there are currently 600 sick Palestinian prisoners, including many suffering from cancer: “Facing slow death inside the Israeli occupation prisons regardless of any humanitarian principles.”

Official Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanou condemned the policy of slow death as a: “Heinous crime and a violation of all international conventions and humanitarian laws.”

READ: Israel holds more than 900 Palestinians in prison with neither charge nor trial

Al-Qanou added: “This reflects the Israeli occupation’s brutality in its jails against Palestinian detainees, particularly the elderly and sick.”

Abu Ali, who is the father of nine children and the brother of seven sisters, was detained in 2012. His death raises the number of Palestinian detainees who have died inside Israeli occupation prisons to 235.

Hamas called on human rights groups and international humanitarian organisations to intervene to save the lives of Palestinian detainees facing imminent death due to the Israeli occupation’s deliberate medical negligence policy.