Palestinian prisoner died of 'deliberate medical negligence' in Israeli jail

The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) on Monday accused an Israeli prison of deliberately causing the death of a 23-year-old Palestinian detainee.

Nour Jaber Al-Barghouthi, a Palestinian from Ramallah, died after fainting on Sunday night in a toilet at Al-Naqab prison, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Barghouthi - who was reportedly serving the fourth of his eight-year prison sentence - was transferred to a hospital, where he passed away, Israeli media reports said.

It took the prison's administration half an hour to seek medical advice and medics were "too late" in their attempts to revive him, PPS said, implying medical negligence. 

The administration responded only after calls for help were made by other prisoners, the civil rights institution claimed.

The PPS said it was holding Israel's prison accountable for the death, accusing the administration of intentionally stalling its medical response and causing Barghouthi's death.

The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

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Following the report, the head of the Palestinian Detainees' and Ex-Detainees Committee, Qadri Abu Bakr, called out Israel on several violations of Israeli prisoners' rights. 

Bakr said that in addition to torture using during Israeli interrogations of Palestinians, detainees were also denied professional medical attention in Israeli prisons.

The head of the Palestinian committee said prisoners particularly susceptible to these violations are those suffering from cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, and other serious health conditions.

Barghouthi is the 273rd Palestinian to die in Israeli prisons since Israel's 1967 occupation of East Jerusalem.

Read also: UN chief urges protection of Palestinians held in Israeli jails as Covid-19 spreads

According to WAFA, Israeli authorities have refused to release the remains of five Palestinians who had previously died in Israeli prisons. 

Earlier in the month, human rights activists commemorated Palestinian Prisoner Day calling on Israel to release detainees held without charge.

Israel's prisoner population currently includes around 5,700 Palestinians.

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