NABLUS, Tuesday, May 17, 2022 (WAFA) – A Palestinian cancer-stricken former prisoner Monday evening died due to complications from Israeli medical negligence at the time of his detention, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.
PPS said that Ihab al-Kilani, a resident of Nablus city, passed away a month after being released from Israeli imprisonment.
It pointed that al-Kilani was diagnosed with terminal cancer shortly after ending his 6-month administrative detention term during which he was subject to deliberate medical negligence.
The last time al-Kilani, a father of four, was arrested was in October 2021, and he spent four years and a half in Israeli imprisonment, mostly placed under administrative detention.
PPS presented statistics showing that 22 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody are suffering from different degrees of cancer, most notably Nasser Abu Hamid, a 49-year-old resident of Al-Amari camp who has been detained since 2002 and is serving seven life sentences and an additional 50 years in prison.
PPS added that 600 prisoners are sick, including 200 who suffer from chronic diseases while holding the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for al-Kilani’s death and its repercussions.
Israel’s widely condemned practice of administrative detention allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.
The US State Department has said in past reports on human rights conditions for Palestinians that administrative detainees are not given the “opportunity to refute allegations or address the evidentiary material presented against them in court.”
Amnesty International has described Israel’s use of administrative detention as a “bankrupt tactic” and has long called on Israel to bring its use to an end.
According to the latest figures from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support, and Human Rights Association, there are currently 4,450 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers.
This number includes approximately 530 Palestinians placed under “administrative detention”, which allows the detention of Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable intervals ranging between three and six months based on undisclosed evidence that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.
Mass arrest of Palestinians is nothing new. According to a 2017 report by Addameer, over the past 50 years, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israel, this figure is now believed to be closer to 1 million. This means that about 40% of Palestinian men and boys living under military occupation have been deprived of their freedom. Almost every Palestinian family has suffered the imprisonment of a loved one.
