RAMALLAH, November 25, 2024 (WAFA) - The Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) reported that Israeli authorities have prohibited former Palestinian detainee Ismail Taqatqa, 40, from entering Jordan to continue treatment for leukemia.
In a joint statement, the organizations condemned the decision as a continuation of the occupation’s systematic crime aimed at endangering Taqatqa's life. Previously, he was denied entry into areas within the 1948-occupied territories for treatment under the pretext of security concerns.
The statement emphasized that Israeli authorities committed a medical crime against Taqatqa by holding him under harsh and difficult conditions, despite his worsening health during his imprisonment.
Taqatqa was detained in March and spent five months in detention under harsh conditions. Despite his deteriorating health, he was held in the Ofer prison, where his condition worsened dramatically. He was eventually transferred to Hadassah Hospital in critical condition and later released under restrictive conditions. A week after his release, Taqatqa was diagnosed with leukemia, and he was admitted to An-Najah National University Hospital in Nablus.
Taqatqa, a resident of Bethlehem's town of Beit Fajjar, had no prior health issues before his detention. His sudden health decline during detention, along with his subsequent diagnosis underscores the severe medical neglect many Palestinian detainees face in Israeli prisons, said the statement. Such neglect has led to the death of numerous Palestinian detainees and left many others suffering from chronic illnesses since the start of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023, added the statement.
The Commission and PPS noted that a significant number of recently released detainees required immediate hospitalization due to health conditions developed during their imprisonment. Medical examinations after their release have often revealed chronic illnesses or lingering health issues, further emphasizing the harsh realities faced by detainees under Israeli custody.
T.R.
