Palestine appeals for the UN to help release cancer patient from Israel jail

The Palestinian Authority, on Monday, called on the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to intervene to release a cancer-stricken Palestinian detainee from an Israeli prison, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting in Ramallah city, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh urged the UN and Red Cross to act to save the life of Walid Dagga, who has been in prison for 37 years.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry, for its part, said it is engaged in political and diplomatic contacts to secure his release.

“We are in contact with all relevant UN and international agencies, particularly the Red Cross, to expose the crimes committed by Israel against Dagga,” it said in a statement.

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Stressing that Dagga’s health is deteriorating, the Ministry accused Israel of pursuing a policy of medical negligence as part of its repressive policies against Palestinian prisoners.

Dagga was transferred to Assaf Harofeh Hospital, south-east of Tel Aviv, after his health deteriorated, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society, a local NGO.

The 60-year-old prisoner was diagnosed with spinal cancer last December. According to the NGO, Dagga has partially lost the ability to walk.

He was arrested in 1986 on charges of membership in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and involvement in the kidnapping and killing of an Israeli soldier.

According to Palestinian estimates, there are about 700 sick Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including 24 cancer patients.

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