The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs has accused Israel of conspiring to kill the sick Palestinian detainee, Nasser Abu Hamid, after refusing to transfer him to a civil hospital despite his critical health condition.
Abu Hamid, 49, was earlier transferred to a clinic in Ramla prison from Barzilai hospital.
The sick prisoner should be immediately transferred to a civil hospital and receive medical treatment, the commission said in a statement, warning against keeping him in the prison’s clinic, where he has no access to advanced medical equipment required to monitor his condition.
The statement stressed that Abu Hamid still cannot use his limbs and is moving around in a wheelchair, adding that he needs permanent assistance to meet his daily needs.
It held the prison administration fully responsible for Abu Hamid’s situation and considered his transfer from Barzilai an “official decision to execute him.”
The Israeli occupation forces arrested Abu Hamid in 2002 and sentenced him to life in prison. His charges include “resisting” the occupation and participating in the establishment of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement in Jenin.
Abu Hamid, whose mother’s house was demolished by Israeli forces several times, began to suffer in early January 2021 from severe chest pains and difficulty in breathing.
The prison doctor’s diagnosis, which was not based on any laboratory tests, showed that he was suffering from a normal infection and only needed to take antibiotics.
His health condition began to deteriorate in August when he experienced excruciating chest pain before discovering a lung tumor.
The tumor was removed along with 10cm of circumference before being transferred again to the prison, where his condition worsened.
Although the doctors stressed that chemotherapy for Abu Hamid is a dire necessity, the Israeli prison authorities deliberately procrastinated.
Abu Hamid, from Al-Amari camp, Ramallah, is one of five brothers who were sentenced to life by the Israeli authorities. Their sixth brother was killed by Israeli forces.
