Head of the Commission of Detainees Affairs Qadri Abu Bakr revealed on Thursday that four Palestinian prisoners were diagnosed with cancer or precancerous cells which brought the number of Palestinian cancer patients in Israeli prisons to 27.
“The Israeli Knesset drafted a bill demanding that Palestinian prisoners receive treatment at their own expense” Abu Bakr underlined in a press conference convened with the Palestinian ministry of health in Ramallah.
Abu Bakr confirmed that Palestinian prisoners such as Israa Jaabis and Nasser Abu Hmaid are denied badly-needed surgeries adding that Palestinian prisoners are suffering physically and psychologically due to heavy fines imposed on them repeated storming beatings and solitary confinement.
For her part the Health Minister of Palestine Mai al-Kaila affirmed that the Palestinian prisoner Fouad al-Shobaki is diagnosed with prostate cancer while prisoners Raed Rayan and Mohammad Nawara’s health condition is seriously deteriorating due to their hunger strike.
Al-Kaila pointed out that the number of Palestinian patients held in Israeli prisons have increased to 500 including 23 cancer patients who need intensive care 11 kidney patients 8 incapacitated and scores diagnosed with chronic diseases.
She held Israel responsible for the deliberate medical negligence which seriously affected the health condition of Palestinian prisoners calling on international institutions and International Committee of the Red Cross to assume their responsibility and support Palestinian patients in Israeli prisons.
