21/2/2024

7/2024

ICHR holds the Israeli occupation authorities responsible for the death of the prisoner Khaled Al-Shawish inside the prison

 

The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) attributes full responsibility to the Israeli occupation authorities for the demise of 53-year-old prisoner Khaled Al-Shawish from Al-Far'a Refugee Camp, who passed away on February 21, 2023, at Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh). Al-Shawish was moved to the medical facility several days prior from Nafha Prison, where he was serving a life sentence, following a decline in his health condition. The prisoner Al-Shawish is chronically ill and was seriously injured by the Israeli occupation army before his arrest, an injury that left him immobile. He marks the ninth prisoner to die within the occupation's prisons since October 7, 2023. Meanwhile, the exact number of Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza Strip, arrested under severe conditions, remains uncertain. There have been reports of some prisoners meeting their death while incarcerated.

 

ICHR attributes the death of prisoners in its facilities to the occupation authorities and cautions against the repercussions of Israel persisting in its oppressive practices against Palestinian detainees. These practices, implemented by the Israeli Prison Service since October 7, include severe and systematic punitive actions that jeopardize prisoners' lives. They are deprived of basic necessities such as adequate water, food, electricity, and personal hygiene supplies. Furthermore, there is a denial of medical treatment, and prisoners are systematically subjected to torture and cruel, inhuman treatment.

 

Consequently, the Independent Commission for Human Rights urges the formation of an independent international committee to investigate the conditions of detention and the circumstances surrounding these deaths. It also appeals to pertinent international organizations to exert pressure on Israel to permit the International Committee of the Red Cross to renew its visits to Palestinian detainees in the occupation's prisons. This is to monitor the challenging and severe conditions they face and to hold the occupying state accountable for these conditions.