Six PFLP Prisoners Held Since 2002 Face Severe Health Deterioration in Israeli Jails
NEWS
Six Palestinian prisoners held since 2002 are reported to be in critical health after years of isolation, medical neglect, and exclusion from all prisoner exchange agreements.
Six Palestinian prisoners affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), all serving life sentences since 2002, are facing serious and worsening health conditions inside Israeli prisons, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office.
In a statement cited by Quds News Network, the office said the prisoners—Ahmad Sa’adat, Ahed Abu Ghlama, Hamdi Qur’an, Majdi Rimawi, Mohammad Rimawi, and Basel al-Asmar—have been detained for more than two decades following their arrest in connection with the 2001 killing of Israeli minister Rehavam Ze’evi.
The statement said the six prisoners have been deliberately excluded from all prisoner exchange agreements over the years and are currently experiencing what it described as life-threatening detention conditions.
According to the Prisoners’ Media Office, the detainees have been subjected to repeated punitive transfers between prisons, prolonged isolation, separation from one another, and sustained medical neglect.
It added that their conditions have sharply deteriorated since October 7, with reports of significant weight loss, the spread of chronic and skin-related illnesses, and the denial of necessary treatment.
The office said these measures form part of an intensified policy inside Israeli prisons, including deliberate starvation, restricted access to medical care, and the use of isolation as a punitive tool.
It further warned that the continued exclusion of these prisoners from exchange deals reflects an effort to punish them politically and undermine their symbolic significance, rather than any security-related considerations.
The warning comes amid a broader escalation inside Israeli prisons, as Palestinian prisoners face increasingly harsh conditions alongside proposed Israeli legislation aimed at expanding punitive measures, including renewed efforts to advance laws permitting the execution of Palestinian detainees.
Human rights organizations and prisoners’ advocacy groups have repeatedly cautioned that current prison policies represent an unprecedented escalation, raising serious concerns over the safety and survival of long-term Palestinian prisoners held under life sentences.
According to Palestinian prisoners’ institutions, more than 10,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including hundreds in administrative detention without charge or trial.
Since October 2023, arrests have sharply increased, alongside reports of widespread abuse, medical neglect, and punitive measures inside detention facilities.
(PC, QNN, Palestinian Media)