OIC holds Israel responsible for death of Palestinian prisoner battling cancer

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has held the Israeli regime responsible for the custodial death of an ailing Palestinian prisoner as a result of deliberate medical negligence despite repeated calls for his release.

The inter-governmental Muslim organization called for an international commission of inquiry to investigate the death of 50-year-old Nasser Abu Hmaid, a cancer patient who breathed his last on Tuesday morning at the Assaf Harofeh Israeli hospital near Tel Aviv.

The organization described the tragic death while in custody as another crime amid relentless Israeli aggression against the people of Palestine, especially those languishing in detention centers across the occupied territories, while reaffirming its support for Palestinian prisoners.

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The OIC also urged international bodies to act promptly in order to protect the rights of Palestinian prisoners and put pressure on the Israeli regime to cease its unending rights violations in the occupied territories and release the prisoners immediately.

Abbas: Abu Hmaid’s death amounts to a full-fledged war crime

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced Abu Hmaid’s death as a result of Israeli medical negligence as a full-fledged war crime.

During a meeting at the presidential headquarters in the occupied central West Bank city of Ramallah, Abbas said Abu Hmaid’s custodial death bears testimony to the extent of injustice inflicted upon the Palestinian nation.

The meeting was called to address international actions to confront the racist and colonial practices of Israeli authorities in light of the formation of a far-right administration in Tel Aviv and the death of the cancer-stricken Palestinian detainee,  

He held the Tel Aviv regime fully responsible for his death, saying Palestinians “will launch a broad international campaign to put anyone before their legal and historical responsibilities in order to provide protection for defenseless Palestinians in the West Bank, East al-Quds and the Gaza Strip.”

It is unacceptable for the international community to remain silent and turn a blind eye to Israeli crimes, the Palestinian president stressed.

Israel to withhold remains of Palestinian prisoner

Israeli authorities announced in a statement on Wednesday that the regime will keep the remains of Abu Hmaid for negotiations with the Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement.

“After conferring with security authorities, it was decided that Israel will keep the body of Nasser Abu Hmaid for the purpose of negotiating the release of Israeli hostages,” the statement quoted Israeli minister of military affairs Minister Benny Gantz as saying.

Abu Hmaid had been battling death for several months in Ramla Prison Hospital. His health deteriorated following the spread of cancerous cells in his body, completely damaging his left lung.

Hmaid hailed from the al-Amari refugee camp in the occupied central West Bank city of Ramallah. He was incarcerated in 2002 and was sentenced to life imprisonment after an Israeli court found him guilty of participating in attacks during the Second Palestinian Intifada (uprising).

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• Hamas calls for mass uprising as Palestinian prisoner dies due to Israel medical negligence

Abu Hmaid was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2021 after Israeli authorities delayed the provision of medical examinations and treatment, according to Palestinian prisoner rights groups.

His family had appealed to all international bodies to take urgent and effective action to save his life, but to no avail. 

There are reportedly more than 7,000 Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli jails. Human rights organizations say Israel violates all the rights and freedoms granted to prisoners by the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Israeli jail authorities keep Palestinian prisoners under deplorable conditions without proper hygienic standards. Palestinian inmates have also been subject to systematic torture, harassment, and repression.

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