Rummana: The Palestinian Detainees' Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) have reported the death of Samir Mohammad Yousef Al-Rifai, a 53-year-old detainee from the town of Rummana near Jenin, in an Israeli prison.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Al-Rifai, who was a married father of five, had been detained by Israeli occupation forces from his home on July 10. He was supposed to have his first hearing in the Salem Military Court on the day of his death. Medical reports provided by his family indicated that Al-Rifai suffered from pre-existing heart issues that required intensive medical care.
The organizations highlighted that Al-Rifai's death raises the number of slain Palestinian prisoners and detainees to 74 since the beginning of what they term as genocide. This period is described as the bloodiest in the history of Palestinian prisoners, with 311 known identities of slain prisoners since 1967.
The Commission and the PPS pointed out that the rising number of deaths among prisoners and detainees is a consequence of ongoing conditions in Israeli prisons. They claim prisoners face systematic crimes, including torture, starvation, medical neglect, sexual assaults, and harsh living conditions that lead to diseases such as scabies, along with unprecedented dispossession and deprivation policies.
The organizations stated that Al-Rifai's death is indicative of a broader pattern of brutality and is considered part of an ongoing genocide. They hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for his death and are calling for international human rights bodies to take decisive action. They demand accountability for the war crimes against Palestinians and urge for sanctions that would isolate Israel internationally, restore the human rights system's role, and end the current state of immunity perceived to be granted to Israel by the global community.
