Palestine urges UN to get cancer patient released from Israeli jail
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA): The Palestinian Authority has called on the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to intervene for the release of a cancer-stricken Palestinian detainee from an Israeli prison.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting in Ramallah city, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh urged the UN and Red Cross to act to save the life of Walid Dagga, who has been in prison for 37 years.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it is engaged in political and diplomatic contacts to secure his release.
“We are in contact with all relevant UN and international agencies, particularly the Red Cross, to expose the crimes committed by Israel against Dagga,” it said in a statement.
Stressing that Dagga’s health is deteriorating, the ministry accused Israel of pursuing a policy of medical negligence.
Dagga was transferred to Assaf Harofeh Hospital, southeast of Tel Aviv, after his health deteriorated, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society, a local NGO.
The 60-year-old prisoner was diagnosed with spinal cancer last December. According to the NGO, Dagga has partially lost the ability to walk.
He was arrested in 1986 on charges of kidnapping and killing of an Israeli soldier.
According to Palestinian estimates, there are about 700 ailing Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including 24 cancer patients who suffer apathy and medical neglect.
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