Palestinian Prisoner Dies of Israeli Medical Negligence

Procession held in Gaza for prisoner Saadi al-Gharably who died in an Israeli prison. AFP
Procession held in Gaza for prisoner Saadi al-Gharably who died in an Israeli prison. AFP
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Palestinian Prisoner Dies of Israeli Medical Negligence

Procession held in Gaza for prisoner Saadi al-Gharably who died in an Israeli prison. AFP
Procession held in Gaza for prisoner Saadi al-Gharably who died in an Israeli prison. AFP

The Palestinian Society Prisoner's Club announced that a Palestinian inmate, who has been in detention for 26 years, died on Wednesday of medical negligence.

The Club stated that Saadi al-Gharably, 75, died at Kaplan medical center after his health deteriorated due to mainly medical negligence.

Gharably had been sent to solitary confinement which aggravated his health condition.

A spokesman for the Israeli Prison Authority stated that Gharably was transferred Sunday to the Prison Authority Medical Center after his health deteriorated, and he died on Wednesday.

The prisoner suffered from a terminal illness and had been serving a life sentence since 1994 for killing an Israeli, added the spokesman.

Gharably is the second Palestinian prisoner who has died in Israeli prisons this year, after Nour Barghouti, 23, passed away in the Negev Prison for unknown reasons.

The head of the Palestinian Authority Prisoners' Affairs Commission, Qadri Abu Bakr, issued a statement indicating that the ongoing medical negligence will lead to the death of more inmates.

Abu Bakr called on international legal and rights institutions, especially the United Nations, to stop the crimes against the prisoners, saying the Prison Administration is fully responsible for “Gharably’s martyrdom.”

The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said the incident is another crime against prisoners.

Member of the Executive Committee Wasel Abu Yousef urged the international community to pressure Israel to release the prisoners, especially the sick, the elderly, women, and children.

Hamas stressed that the crime against Gharably will only increase the determination of all Palestinian prisoners, while Islamic Jihad warned that medical negligence threaten the lives of other prisoners who are at risk of death at any moment due to this aggressive policy.

Palestinians say Israel’s policy of medical negligence has killed over 69 prisoners since 1967.



Blinken Lays Out Post-war Gaza Plan to Be Handed to Trump Team

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, on January 14, 2025. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, on January 14, 2025. (AFP)
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Blinken Lays Out Post-war Gaza Plan to Be Handed to Trump Team

 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, on January 14, 2025. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, on January 14, 2025. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday laid out plans for the post-war management of Gaza, saying the outgoing Biden administration would hand over the roadmap to President-elect Donald Trump's team to pick up if a ceasefire deal is reached.

Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington in his final days as the US top diplomat, Blinken said Washington envisioned a reformed Palestinian Authority leading Gaza and inviting international partners to help establish and run an interim administration for the enclave.

A security force would be formed from forces from partner nations and vetted Palestinian personnel, Blinken said during his speech, which was repeatedly interrupted by protesters who accused him of supporting genocide by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza, which Israel denies.

He was speaking as negotiators met in Qatar hoping to finalize a plan to end the war in Gaza after 15 months of conflict that has upended the Middle East.

"For many months, we've been working intensely with our partners to develop a detailed post-conflict plan that would allow Israel to fully withdraw from Gaza, prevent Hamas from filling back in, and provide for Gaza's governance, security and reconstruction," Blinken said.

Trump and his incoming team have not said whether they would implement the plan.

Blinken said a post-conflict plan and a "credible political horizon for Palestinians" was needed to ensure that Hamas does not re-emerge.

The United States had repeatedly warned Israel that Hamas could not be defeated by a military campaign alone, he said. "We assess that Hamas has recruited almost as many new fighters as it has lost. That is a recipe for an enduring insurgency and perpetual war."

PROTESTERS

Blinken's remarks were interrupted three times by protesters, who echoed accusations that the Biden administration was complicit in crimes committed by Israel in the war.

Blinken has denied Israel's actions amount to genocide and says he has pushed Israel to do more to protect civilians and to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel launched its assault after Hamas-led fighters stormed across its borders on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's aerial and ground campaign has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, drawing accusations of genocide in a World Court case brought by South Africa and of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the allegations.

The assault has displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million population and drawn the concern of the world’s main hunger monitor.

"You will forever be known as bloody Blinken, secretary of genocide," one protester shouted before being led out of the event.

Blinken remained calm, telling one heckler: "I respect your views. Please allow me to share mine," before resuming his remarks.

Blinken said US officials had debated "vigorously" the Biden administration's response to the war, a reference to a slew of resignations by officials in his State Department who have criticized the policy to continue providing arms and diplomatic cover to Israel.

Others felt Washington had held Israel back from inflicting greater damage on Iran and its proxies, he said.

"It is crucial to ask questions like these, which will be studied for years to come," he said. "I wish I could stand here today and tell you with certainty that we got every decision right. I cannot."