Palestinian rights groups warn of escalating medical neglect after a child detainee underwent open-heart surgery and another prisoner lost a leg.
Key Takeaways
- A 15-year-old Palestinian detainee underwent emergency open-heart surgery while in Israeli custody.
- A wounded prisoner had his right leg amputated after being shot and detained.
- The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club says both cases reflect a broader pattern of medical neglect.
- Rights groups called for urgent international intervention and accountability.
Two recent cases involving a Palestinian child detainee who underwent emergency open-heart surgery and a wounded prisoner whose leg was amputated have renewed warnings from Palestinian rights organizations about what they describe as systematic “medical crimes” inside Israeli prisons.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said the cases illustrate a wider pattern of medical neglect, denial of treatment, and abuse targeting Palestinian detainees, particularly those arrested during Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and intensified military operations across the occupied West Bank.
Child Undergoes Emergency Heart Surgery
The organization said Israeli prison authorities bear full responsibility for the condition of Mohammad Mousa Suleiman Hamid, a 15-year-old from the town of Tuqu’ near Bethlehem, who has been detained since February 2026.
According to the Prisoners’ Club, Hamid’s health deteriorated dramatically several days ago before his family was informed that he had undergone open-heart surgery at Israel’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
The family was not permitted to visit him or receive direct updates on his condition, learning of the operation only through legal and human rights organizations and the child’s lawyer.
Before his transfer to hospital, Hamid had been held at Ofer Prison and remains in Israeli detention.
The organization said his family insisted he had not suffered from any known heart condition before his arrest and that they were shocked to receive notification that he would require major cardiac surgery.
According to the latest information available, Hamid remains in critical condition and requires intensive medical care.
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Prisoner Loses Leg after Detention
The Prisoners’ Club also highlighted the case of Malek Hani Jibril, 30, also from Tuqu’, who recently underwent surgery resulting in the amputation of his right leg.
Jibril was reportedly shot by Israeli forces near the so-called Checkpoint 300 earlier this month before being arrested while wounded.
The organization said Israeli authorities bear full responsibility for the deterioration of his condition, which ultimately resulted in the amputation while he remained in custody.
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‘Part of a Broader Pattern’
According to the Prisoners’ Club, the two cases are not isolated incidents but reflect the conditions facing thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
The organization said Israeli prison authorities continue to deny detainees adequate medical treatment while employing medical neglect, starvation, and torture as additional methods of abuse.
It warned that amputations have become one of the most alarming issues affecting wounded prisoners, particularly detainees from Gaza who were shot before their arrest.
Many remain imprisoned after losing limbs, the group said, while being denied prosthetic devices, rehabilitation, and the specialized medical care necessary to meet even basic daily needs.
Hundreds of other Palestinians arrested after sustaining injuries are also reportedly suffering from untreated wounds and chronic medical complications.
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Health Crisis inside Israeli Prisons
The Prisoners’ Club said the cumulative impact of torture, poor detention conditions, denial of healthcare, and prolonged neglect has left the majority of Palestinian prisoners suffering from health problems, including many who entered prison in good health.
It added that human rights organizations face major obstacles in obtaining prisoners’ medical records due to restrictions imposed by Israeli prison authorities.
Many detainees, the organization said, avoid requesting medical treatment altogether out of fear that transfers to prison clinics or civilian hospitals will expose them to further beatings, humiliation, and abuse.
The group said it has documented dozens of cases in which prisoners were assaulted during medical transfers, describing access to healthcare itself as becoming “a journey of torture” rather than treatment.
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Calls for International Action
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club renewed its appeal to the international community, including the United Nations, its special rapporteurs, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to intervene urgently.
The organization called for immediate measures to ensure medical treatment for all Palestinian detainees, particularly the wounded and chronically ill, while demanding an end to what it described as systematic medical crimes inside Israeli prisons.
It also urged international human rights organizations to intensify efforts to document medical abuse and torture inside Israeli detention facilities and to pursue accountability for those responsible under international humanitarian and human rights law.
(QNN, PC)
