Palestinian prisoners held in Ashkelon prison started on Wednesday a hunger strike in protest against Israeli medical negligence policy towards the seriously ill prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid.
The Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority affirmed in a statement on Thursday that the prisoners decided to reject their daily three meals in solidarity with Abu Hamid.
The move came in protest at the Israeli medical negligence policy towards the seriously ill prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid topped by denying him adequate medical care.
The commission’s lawyer Karim Ajwa who managed to visit Abu Hamdi in Ramla prison hospital on Wednesday affirmed that he suffers from serious health deterioration as he became unable to move and suffers a memory loss and sharp weight loss.
The lawyer pointed out that he was only given took painkillers despite his serious health condition.
Abu Hamid who has been in prison since 2002 has lung cancer and recently started to take doses of chemotherapy after long Israeli procrastination and deliberate medical neglect.
He began to fall ill in August with chest pain. Doctors found and removed a lung tumor.
The prisoner was moved back to Israel’s Ashkelon jail where his condition worsened after his access to chemotherapy was deliberately delayed more than once.
Abu Hamid is one of five brothers from the same family handed life sentences by Israel. A sixth brother from the same family was killed by Israeli occupation forces.
Over 700 Palestinian prisoners are held in Israeli jails in dire need of medical attention 170 of whom are in critical condition.
