RAMALLAH, March 25, 2025 (WAFA) – Lawyer Firas al-Jabrini revealed on Tuesday that the 17-year-old Palestinian whose recently died in Israel's notorious Megiddo Prison had been infected with Amoebiasis, according to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center.
The Center said in a press statement that Al-Jabrini revealed, through the testimony of a young prisoner from Megiddo Prison, who "was able to visit him," that Walid Khaled Ahmed, whose death was announced late Sunday evening, had been infected with Amoebiasis before his death was announced.
Ahmed, a resident of the occupied West Bank town of Silwad, had been imprisoned since his September 30, 2024 arrest. He was being held in Section 4 of Megiddo Prison.
The Center added that Ahmed was suffering from severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, and dizziness.
Amoebiasis is an intestinal infection caused by amoeba parasites. It is typically transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water. It affects the intestines and leads to a range of symptoms, including severe diarrhea, stomach and abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Poor hygiene and an unsanitary environment are major factors contributing to the spread of the disease, along with harsh living conditions inside prisons, such as a lack of medical care and clean drinking water.
The Center revealed that Palestinian prisoners in Megiddo Prison suffer from symptoms similar to those suffered by Ahmed due to their infection with Amoebiasis. Many also suffer from fecal incontinence, without any treatment or monitoring of their health. Skin diseases such as scabies are widespread among prisoners, and they suffer from boils in various parts of the body. Some also suffer from eczema, especially on the face, as young prisoners explained to lawyer al-Jabrini.
Lawyer al-Jabrini added, according to the testimony of one of the young prisoners, that the food provided to prisoners during Ramadan consists of "labneh and cheese" in the early morning hours, which the prisoners keep in their rooms until “Iftar” in the evening. There is no refrigerator or suitable place to preserve the food from spoilage, forcing them to eat it out of hunger and lack of an alternative.
In addition to the spread of Amoebiasis disease in Megiddo Prison, the young prisoners suffer from repeated raids of their section along with dogs and constant pepper spraying.
The Center pointed out that since October 2023, Palestinian prisoners have been suffering from harsh detention conditions and harsh living conditions, as the occupation authorities have exploited "emergency laws and regulations" to escalate their attacks and abuse of Palestinian prisoners. The occupation authorities have implemented numerous repressive and abusive measures, including repeated raids, constant transfers, beatings, pepper spray, attacks by dogs, deprivation of food and drink, denial of bathing and personal hygiene items, prohibition of access to the prison yard, prohibition of group prayers, confiscation of Qurans, and a failure to provide cleaning materials for rooms and internal bathrooms.
In addition to the spread of Amoebiasis, a skin disease known as scabies has also spread among prisoners in all prisons, leading to the deaths of several. Scabies is a parasitic skin disease that causes severe itching and a painful rash. The unsanitary prison environment and the lack of adequate medical care exacerbate the spread of these diseases.
K.F.
