The family of imprisoned prominent Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouthi confirmed that he was injured after Israeli prison guards fired a rubber‑coated metal bullet at his leg, causing bleeding and significant pain.
The incident represents a new escalation in the pattern of physical assaults and punitive measures imposed on him inside Israeli prisons, according to his family and multiple Palestinian media outlets.
His wife, Fadwa Barghouthi, stated that the attack occurred as the Israeli Prison Service circulated what she described as an incitement‑driven internal report targeting Marwan.
Statement from Fadwa Barghouti after Marwan Barghouti was shot in the leg with rubber bullets by Israeli prison guards and subsequently targeted in an inflammatory Israeli Prison Service report.
“In a new attempt to target Marwan, the Israeli Prison Service issued an inciting… pic.twitter.com/V3hnImD3MA
— FreeMarwanNow (@FreeMarwanNow) July 13, 2026
She said the timing coincides with the growing international momentum of the “Freedom for Marwan, Freedom for Palestine” campaign, which has recently gained support from political figures, parliamentarians, and public personalities across several countries.
Fadwa Barghouthi added that Israeli authorities “have failed for a quarter of a century to understand that Marwan has never retreated from his conviction that freedom is a right, and that occupation will end.”
“In a new attempt to target Marwan, the Israeli Prison Service issued an inciting report at a time when the international campaign “Free Marwan, Free Palestine” continues to expand, attracting prominent global figures and leaders and receiving significant official and public support around the world,” Fadwa said in her statement, “At the same time, one of the prison guards fired a rubber bullet into Marwan’s leg, causing him to bleed and suffer a painful injury—another episode in the ongoing series of assaults against him.”
Even the Israeli report, while intended as an indictment, inadvertently acknowledges Marwan’s stature, influence, symbolic significance, and the strength of the global campaign demanding his freedom. Neither incitement nor assault will change that reality. They will not remove… pic.twitter.com/1mDJucVpRa
— FreeMarwanNow (@FreeMarwanNow) July 13, 2026
She added that Marwan has consistently refused to surrender or adopt nihilism, believing that resisting occupation and pursuing a just peace that ends it are both national and moral responsibilities. She emphasized that he remains committed to the unity of the Palestinian people and land, and that his lifelong concern has been sparing Palestinian children the suffering of occupation and war.
Fadwa stressed that “incitement and assault will not change these truths, nor will they remove Marwan from the conscience of his people or from the minds of free individuals around the world,” adding that his attachment to his homeland and his people remains unwavering.
Fadwa described her husband as “one of his people, carrying their pain and hopes, affected by the suffering in Gaza, the wounds of Jenin, the anguish of Jerusalem, and the hardship felt in every Palestinian city, village, and refugee camp.” She said he remains committed to the pledge he made: to defend his people, their freedom, and their dignity regardless of the cost.
“He has rejected both surrender and despair, believing that resisting occupation while striving for a just peace that brings it to an end is both a national and a moral responsibility. He believes in the unity of the Palestinian people and their land,” Fadwa stressed, “Marwan’s foremost concern has always been to spare every Palestinian child the suffering of occupation and the devastation of war, and his enduring goal has been to secure a life of freedom and dignity for his people.
Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have documented repeated abuses against Palestinian detainees, including excessive force, prolonged solitary confinement, denial of medical care, and punitive isolation. While neither organization has yet issued a new statement specifically about this incident, both continue to warn that conditions for Palestinian prisoners have deteriorated sharply since late 2023.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has repeatedly called on Israel to respect international standards for detainee treatment. OCHA and UNRWA have also highlighted a broader pattern of escalating violations against Palestinians across the occupied territories, including inside detention facilities, noting that access to legal counsel, family visits, and medical care has been increasingly restricted.
Barghouthi, imprisoned since 2002 and serving multiple life sentences, remains one of the most prominent Palestinian political figures held in Israeli prisons. His family and supporters say the latest assault underscores the ongoing campaign to isolate him amid rising international calls for his release.
In addition to the latest assault, Palestinian and Israeli media outlets documented a highly provocative visit by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir to Barghouthi’s prison cell last year.
Ben‑Gvir entered the wing accompanied by a large contingent of prison guards, ordered that Barghouthi be removed from his cell, and inspected the cell personally. During the visit, Ben‑Gvir issued public threats, declaring that he intended to “tighten conditions” on Palestinian prisoners and specifically target Barghouthi with harsher restrictions.
🚫 Ben Gvir storms the solitary confinement section in “Ganot” Prison (formerly Ramon and Nafha Prisons) and directly threatens the prisoner leader Marwan Barghouti in his cell:
“You will not defeat us… we will erase you.” pic.twitter.com/juTXwb5SkI
— Palestinian Center for Prisoners Advocacy (@PalPrisonersA) August 14, 2025
The visit was widely condemned by Palestinian political factions, legal advocates, and several international human rights organizations, who described it as an intentional act of provocation aimed at humiliating Barghouthi, undermining his political standing, and inflaming tensions inside Israeli prisons.
Barghouthi, imprisoned since 2002 and serving multiple life sentences, remains one of the most prominent Palestinian political figures held in Israeli prisons.
His family and supporters say the latest assault, combined with Ben‑Gvir’s earlier threats and cell inspection, underscores the ongoing campaign to isolate him amid rising international calls for his release.
