Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, affirms that the crime of killing the cancer-diseased prisoner Assef Al-Refaei (22 years old) today, Thursday 29/9/2024, is another crime committed within the Israeli series of crimes against Palestinian prisoners. Prisoner Al-Refaei, from Kufur Ein Village- Ramallah, passed away in the( Assaf Harofe Hospital) and he has been arrested since 24/9/2022 though he is a cancer patient. The death of the mentioned prisoner requires an Arabic, international, and national stance to halt the massacre and the slow death committed against Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli occupation through the policy of medical negligence and torture. The crimes of killing Palestinian prisoners witnessed a rapid increase since October 7, 2023, where since that date, 11 prisoners have been killed inside the prisons and most of them passed away as a result of the medical negligence and torture policy.
SHAMS Center condemns the ongoing practices of torture and arrogance procedures committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli authorities practice various forms of torture against Palestinian prisoners and deny the entry of food and clothes despite the cold weather inside prisons. Additionally, the Israeli authorities apply the policy of medical negligence against the prisoners and they are deprived of receiving medicine. Additionally, the Israeli authorities are torturing the prisoners utilizing a variety of means including electrical shocks, to extract confessions from them. Confessions are extracted from prisoners in inhumane ways with no respect to the international values and conventions related to treating prisoners. The practices of the occupation against prisoners manifest the level of criminality and revenge that is rooted deeply in the Zionist Thought and ideology in dealing with Palestinians in general and prisoners in particular, as an attempt to suppress Palestinians and kill the maximum possible number of them.
The Center deplores the international silence in front of the process of executing Palestinian prisoners by applying the policy of medical negligence. In particular, the Center condemns the silence of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) where no pressure is exerted on the occupation government to provide Palestinian prisoners with the necessary medical services under the principles that stand behind establishing the ICRC. Unfortunately, the ICRC sometimes loses its principles of neutralism and stands careless regarding the crimes committed against Palestinian prisoners.
The Center asserts that the deliberated medical negligence crimes committed against Palestinian prisoners violate international humanitarian law. In particular, it violates the Geneva Third Convention (dated 12/8/1949). Article 13 of the Convention states: “Prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity”. Likewise, it violates Article 15 of the same Convention, which states: “The Power detaining prisoners of war shall be bound to provide free of charge for their maintenance and for the medical attention required by their state of health”. The Israeli crime violates Article 24 of the Geneva First Convention, which stipulates: “Medical personnel exclusively engaged in the search for, or the collection, transport or treatment of the wounded or sick, or in the prevention of disease, staff exclusively engaged in the administration of medical units and establishments”.