RAMALLAH, June 24, 2026 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS) said on Wednesday that the severe health condition of former detainee and journalist Mujahid Bani Mufleh, six months after his release from Israeli administrative detention, illustrates what it described as the reality of Israel's prison system as a tool of "slow and direct killing" of Palestinian prisoners.
In a statement, the PPS emphasized that Bani Mufleh's case is an isolated one but represents thousands of who have allegedly endured systematic abuse inside Israeli prisons, including torture.
The statement added that specialized institutions have monitored hundreds of cases of released prisoners who left prison in extremely critical health and psychological conditions. However, many of these cases have not been made public due to the fear, shock, and terror experienced by the released prisoners and their families, who fear re-arrest. Several released prisoners have died shortly after their release, succumbing to the crimes and violations they endured during their detention.
Israeli authorities placed Bani Mufleh under administrative detention in June 2025 and released him in January 2026. Two days after his release, he suffered a severe brain hemorrhage and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He underwent a series of surgeries after experiencing serious health complications and continues to face a long and complex treatment journey.
In a poignant testimony following his 14-month ordeal of detention and treatment, Bani Mufleh spoke of the immense suffering he endured in prison, saying that he learned the true meaning of hunger when a morsel of bread becomes a distant dream, and the meaning of humiliation when the most basic aspects of daily life are taken from a person and entirely controlled by the jailer.
He added that he came to understand the pain of physical incapacity, the cruelty of nights when hours become a heavy burden of suffering, worry, and fear of the unknown, culminating in the treatment phase where he experienced the meaning of helplessness, when even the simplest daily movements become an achievement worthy of celebration.
He said imprisonment also changed his appreciation for life's simplest necessities, including adequate food, clean water, safe sleep, freedom of movement, and living with dignity.
In a related context, the PPS affirmed that the targeting of Palestinian journalists has witnessed an unprecedented escalation following the war, whether through assassinations that have claimed the lives of hundreds of journalists in the Gaza Strip, or through campaigns of arrest and persecution. According to documentation and monitoring, the number of arrests of journalists has exceeded 245 since the start of the war.
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