Palestinian cancer prisoner diagnosed with lung infection

Israeli doctors confirmed Monday that Nasser Abu Hmeid, a Palestinian prisoner battling cancer, has contracted a lung infection, his brother has told The New Arab.

Abu Hmeid, 50, was transferred from the Israeli Barzilai hospital late on Thursday after his condition deteriorated.

His family was allowed to call an intensive care doctor at the hospital to find out what had happened to him after an intervention by the International Red Cross, according to his brother, Naji Abu Hmeid.

"The doctor then told us that Nasser has 'Legionella' bacteria in his lung and that he is not responding to the antibiotic treatment," Abu Hmeid said.

#الحرية_لناصر_ابو_حميد

“The mother of the sick prisoner Nasser Abu Hmeid: I saw him and wish I had not seen him, his situation makes the heart bleed, he is unconscious and his hands are tied. I thought I would hold his hand and talk to him, but the occupation prevented me.” pic.twitter.com/JRjRmL8KPD

— Juve Muhammad (@JuveYildiz) January 10, 2022

Israeli medics discovered a tumor in Abu Hmeid’s lung in August after months of pain, identifying it as non-cancerous.

After his pain intensified, Israeli doctors extracted a sample of the tumor and diagnosed Abu Hmeid with lung cancer in October. He then began undergoing chemotherapy.

"Two months ago, when we were told the tumor was getting smaller, Nasser began to have a fever and severe pain, but it wasn't until early this year that he was properly examined," Naji Abu Hmeid said.

A monitor for the rights of Palestinian prisoners in Israel told The New Arab that Abu Hmeid has been subject to "medical neglect" by the Israeli prison service.

"Israeli authorities ignored Abu Hmeid's pain for months before intervening," a spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said.

Watch | Dozens of Palestinian protesters march in Jalazon Camp in the center of the occupied West Bank calling for the release of Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hmeid, a cancer patient who's serving a life sentence in Israeli jails.#FreeThemAll pic.twitter.com/7jztxre5br

— Humanity._.1st (@ML35209678) January 8, 2022

The Palestinian High Commission for Prisoners Affairs filed a request for Abu Hmeid's early release on health grounds, the commission's chief lawyer, Jamil Saadeh, told Palestinian media on Monday.

The commission had not received an answer, Saadeh said.

About 600 Palestinians in Israeli prisons are chronically sick, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, four of them with cancer.