HEBRON, May 8, 2011 (WAFA) – Minister of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, Issa Qaraqe, Sunday said that the prisoners’ file is becoming more serious and critical and requiring an immediate political intervention to release them. 

Qaraqe visited a prisoner from Beit Ummar, Hebron who was released after three years, injured in his left foot; the prisoner explained the deteriorating conditions of injured and disabled prisoners in Israeli prisons due to medical negligence.

 He added that many prisoners are now living on pain killers after closing their medical files.

Qaraqe said that more than 1500 prisoners are suffering from health problems; 50 of them are injured or disabled, and the others are suffering from severe cases of cancer and heart diseases.

He called on to send a fact finding committee to investigate the prisoners’ deteriorating health conditions in Israeli prisons.

Qaraqe held Israel responsible for the prisoners' suffering, saying “Israel slowly aims to kill the Palestinian prisoners with its arbitrary procedures which violate international and human laws.”

M.H./F.R.