RAMALLAH, July 8, 2026 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS) held the Israeli prison system fully responsible for the assault on Palestinian prisoner Ghassan Ibrahim Zwahra from Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem, asserting that, according to his testimony, what happened to him amounted to a deliberate attempted killing carried out by the prison administration's repression units.
In a press statement, the PPS said that repression forces fired rubber-coated bullets at Zwahra inside the Negev Prison after he was transferred there from Ramon Prison on June 8th. From the moment of his transfer, he was subjected to humiliating and degrading strip searches, accompanied by a brutal beating at the hands of the repression forces.
The statement also noted that on June 17th, Zwahra was subjected to another repression operation by the Metzada unit, during which rubber-coated bullets were fired at prisoners, striking him in the thigh.
According to his testimony, the prison guards shot him directly for the third time, causing severe injuries and heavy bleeding, before dragging him out of the prison section.
The PPS said Zawahra attempted to walk despite his injuries, but collapsed in the prison yard due to the bleeding and his inability to move. He then lost consciousness and was transferred to the prison clinic, and subsequently to Soroka Hospital, where he underwent surgery on his wound before being returned to prison the same day. During the transfer, he stated that he was assaulted with batons.
It emphasized that what has been reported from Zuwahra's testimony represents only a portion of what he endured, as it only includes what was permitted to be made public. The testimony contains other extremely harsh and shocking details, confirming that the prison guards deliberately attempted to kill him by firing rubber-coated bullets at him directly and repeatedly after he was transferred to Nafha Prison.
The PPS noted that Zuwahra was recently transferred back to Ganot Prison, and that he is a former prisoner who has spent a total of 17 years in Israeli prisons, seven of which were under actual sentences, while the remainder were spent in administrative detention. He was re-detained by the Israeli occupation forces in February 2025 and placed under administrative detention.
Zuwahra is the brother of the slain Palestinian Mu'taz Zuwahra, while another brother, Mohammad Zawahra, has also previously been detained. He is married and a father of four, and lost his father on the second day of his most recent detention.
According to the PPS, during his years of imprisonment, he was subjected to repeated torture and ill-treatment, and he went on hunger strikes over the years, while his family was subjected to harassment and frequent raids.
Y.S
