Dozens of Palestinians protested outside the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza on Monday to demand the release of a Palestinian detainee in Israel who tested positive for COVID-19.
The participants carried Palestinian flags and pictures of Kamal Abu Waer, 46, who has cancer and tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday.
Recently, Abu Waer’s health deteriorated and he was diagnosed with throat cancer.
The Israel Prisons Service announced he tested positive, adding that all his movements were now being traced and anyone who had been in contact with him would be required to quarantine for 14 days.
The protest was organized by the Prisoners Commission of the National and Islamic Forces, which called upon the World Health Organization (WHO) and international organizations to intervene to release Abu Waer and save his life.
Speaking on behalf of the Commission, leader of the Fatah movement Nashat al-Wahidi held the Israel Prisons Service responsible for the deterioration of Abu Waer’s health. He called for testing detainees for the coronavirus, especially those with health issues.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prisoner Society urged the Red Cross to assume its responsibilities as a competent authority, especially with regard to overseeing the tests carried out on prisoners in Israeli prisons.
The Society, which is a non-governmental organization, issued a press statement calling on human rights and prisoners' organizations to urgently intervene to release all sick detainees who face the threat of coronavirus in Israeli prisons.
According to the statement, Israel continues to arrest about 700 sick Palestinian prisoners, 300 of which suffer from chronic diseases and are in urgent need of health care.