Palestinian man suffers from paralysis in Israeli prison, denied treatment

A Palestinian man has suffered partial paralysis while held in Israel’s Naqab Prison, with prison authorities reportedly refusing to provide him with medical treatment, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported on Sunday.

The man, 23-year-old Ibrahim Ammar Abbas from the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, was detained on 23 April 2023 at a military checkpoint near the town of Salfit in the West Bank. He was held in administrative detention without charges or trial.

 His family has raised concerns over his deteriorating health condition, telling Wafa that a lack of medical care has worsened his condition, accusing Israeli authorities of neglecting him.

They added on 15th July, Abbas swallowed his tongue, holding Israeli authorities responsible for his health.

His partial paralysis has triggered protests from fellow prisoners, according to the report, with some of them returning their food to make a statement.

The family have called on humanitarian rights groups to intervene and help save his life.

Rights group Amnesty International in 2023 said Israeli authorities have dramatically increased their use of administrative detention and arbitrary attention.

They also said Israeli authorities extended emergency measures that facilitate inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners, adding that they have for decades documented widespread torture by Israeli authorities in detention centres.

Over 7,350 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank since 7 October, according to the Addameer rights monitor based in Ramallah.

The figure does not include thousands of adults and children Israeli forces have reportedly detained and tortured in makeshift prisons across Gaza amidst the ongoing war.