A Palestinian young man tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) only one day after his release from an Israeli jail Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainee Affairs Commission said on Wednesday.
The commission said the results of the medical test on the newly released detainee Nour ed-Din Sarsour from Beitunia town west of Ramallah showed he was suffering from the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.
Sarsour was arrested on 18 March and released on Tuesday evening after spending his detention period in Ofer Prison and Benjamin Investigation Center.
The commission held the Israeli government and the Israel Prison Service responsible for what it described a “crime” and noted that the Israeli authorities are not taking the necessary measures to protect Palestinian detainees from the pandemic.
The Palestinian Prisoner Society said that Sarsour shared the same prison room with 36 Palestinian detainees for 12 days.
Israel holds 5000 Palestinians including 43 women 180 children and 700 patients in its prisons. Several Palestinian factions and rights groups have repeatedly called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene to ensure the safety of Palestinian prisoners in light of the Coronavirus outbreak.
