Angry protests in Jenin village following death of prisoner

Spontaneous angry marches and protests took place on Tuesday in the village of Silat al-Daher, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, home of Palestinian prisoner Sami Abu Diyak who died this morning from cancer while behind Israeli bars.


The protests started from schools with the participation of several institutions from the village and nearby villages in condemnation of the Israeli prison policy of medical negligence that led to the death of Abu Diyak. They called on the world to urgently intervene to put an end to what they said was Israeli crimes.

Shops were closed as a general strike was declared, while protesters set fire to tires and put roadblocks at the entrance of the illegal Israeli settlement of Homesh, while hoisting Palestinian flag.


Abu Diyak, 37, was detained on 17 July 2002 and was sentenced to triple life terms plus 30 years, of which he spent 17 years behind bars before his death. He was diagnosed with an intestinal cancer in September 2015 and his condition began to deteriorate as a result of medical mistakes by the Israeli Soroka hospital in the south of Israel where he underwent surgery to remove 83 cm of his large intestine.

With the death of Abu Diyak, the number of Palestinian prisoners who died as a result of medical negligence has reached 222 since 1967, more than a third of them while in custody.

Cancer-stricken Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli jails

Cancer-stricken Palestinian prisoner Sami Abu Diyak, from the West Bank district of Jenin, died on Tuesday in Israeli occupation jails due to medical negligence, said the Palestinian Prisoner Society.


Abu Diyak, 36, was detained in 2002 and was diagnosed with intestinal cancer as well as kidney and lung failures couple of years ago.

Yesterday, the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) has warned that cancer-stricken prisoner Sami Abu Diyak may die any moment after his health condition reached a very critical stage.

In a letter he wrote a few days ago, the Palestinian detainee Sami Abu Diak said he wanted to "die in my mother's lap."


Today, and due to the deliberate medical neglect by "Israel," Abu Diak died, alone and handcuffed on a cold bed.

Although Abu Diak was suffering from an advanced stage of cancer and other serious health problems, the Israeli court rejected all pleas to release him to receive proper medical care.

The PPS held the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for the racist crimes committed against Palestinians, including the physical and psychological torture and medical negligence of prisoners, among other violations, calling for an investigation into these crimes.
The death of Abu Diak brings the number of Palestinian prisoners who died in Israeli jails since 1967 to 222 prisoners.

At least 700 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails suffer from serious health conditions, of whom 160 prisoners are in need of urgent medical follow-up.

Palestinians have accused the Israeli authorities of failing to provide proper medical treatment or even delay treatment to ill prisoners causing as a result deterioration in their health.

According to Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights organization, “in regard to adequate medical attention and treatment, Article 91 [of the Fourth Geneva Convention] emphasizes that “every place of internment shall have an adequate infirmary…” and that “Internees may not be prevented from presenting themselves to the medical authority for examination.” In addition to this article, Article 92 asserts that “Medical inspections of internees shall be made at least once a month…”. It is evident that the withholding of treatment, or access to a medical professional, is a violation of these specific provisions, and therefore a violation of international humanitarian law.”

Israeli forces raids cells, assaults prisoners in Nafha jail

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday stormed cells in Nafha prison and assaulted many prisoners.


According to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs, forces from the Metzada and Dora broke into and ransacked two cells in section 13 of the jail and wreaked havoc on prisoners’ belongings.

The forces physically assaulted the prisoners in those cells and transferred prisoner Adnan al-Shalabi to solitary confinement.

Later, the Nafha jail administration decided to close all cells and sections at the pretext of containing possible angry reactions from other inmates following the raid.

After two months of hunger strike, two prisoners reported in a feeble health condition

Two months of hunger strike by two Palestinian prisoners in Israel has left them in poor health condition, today said the Palestinian Prisoners Commission.


Hassan Abed Rabbo, spokesman for the commission, said that Ahmad Zahran, 42, from Deir Abu Mishal near Ramallah, has been on hunger strike for 63 days, and Musab Hindi, 29, from Tel village in the north of the West Bank, for 61 days in protest against their administrative detention without charge or trial.


He said both prisoners feel very weak and exhaustion and refuse to take any supplements or undergo physical examination.

Abed Rabbo warned that the two may be in danger of losing their life after more than 60 days of hunger strike and due to lack of salt and fluids in their body.