26 sept 2016
The Israeli authorities on Sunday decided to allow Palestinian doctors to participate in performing an autopsy on the body of prisoner Yasser Hamduna, who is believed to have died of a heart attack in Ramon jail.
According to the Palestinian commission for detainees' and ex-detainees' affairs, the Israeli magistrate court in Beersheba city allowed the body of Hamduna to be examined at the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv in the presence of two Palestinian doctors.
The commission stated that Hamduna had suffered from heart problems over many years without having been provided with appropriate medical care, expressing its belief that the prisoner was exposed to deliberate medical neglect. Afterwards, the body will be handed over to his family in Jenin for burial.
According to the Palestinian commission for detainees' and ex-detainees' affairs, the Israeli magistrate court in Beersheba city allowed the body of Hamduna to be examined at the Abu Kabir forensic institute in Tel Aviv in the presence of two Palestinian doctors.
The commission stated that Hamduna had suffered from heart problems over many years without having been provided with appropriate medical care, expressing its belief that the prisoner was exposed to deliberate medical neglect. Afterwards, the body will be handed over to his family in Jenin for burial.
The mother of Yasser Hamduna, who died Sunday in Israeli jails due to the deliberate medical negligence, was transferred overnight to hospital after her health suddenly deteriorated.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the health condition of Hamduna's mother steadily worsened after her son’s death.
The mother collapsed and fainted on Sunday morning once she received news of her son’s sudden death in Israeli jails.
However, her health situation sharply worsened in the evening, which led to her transfer to the government hospital in Jenin.
Palestinian prisoner Yasser Hamduna was proclaimed dead on Sunday morning in an Israeli jail, where he was serving a life prison term. Hamduna had suffered several heart problems since his detention in June 2003 when he was physically assaulted by soldiers from the Nahshon Battalion.
Despite his poor health condition, he was not provided with appropriate medical care in the infirmary of the Ramla prison compound, where he was taken several times
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the health condition of Hamduna's mother steadily worsened after her son’s death.
The mother collapsed and fainted on Sunday morning once she received news of her son’s sudden death in Israeli jails.
However, her health situation sharply worsened in the evening, which led to her transfer to the government hospital in Jenin.
Palestinian prisoner Yasser Hamduna was proclaimed dead on Sunday morning in an Israeli jail, where he was serving a life prison term. Hamduna had suffered several heart problems since his detention in June 2003 when he was physically assaulted by soldiers from the Nahshon Battalion.
Despite his poor health condition, he was not provided with appropriate medical care in the infirmary of the Ramla prison compound, where he was taken several times
Palestinian Islamic and national forces called Sunday on PA ministry for prisoners’ affairs to form an international committee to investigate the death of Yasser Hamduna in Israeli custody.
In a press conference held Sunday in Gaza City, Palestinian national and Islamic forces held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for Hamduna's death as he was subjected to a deliberate and systematic medical negligence.
Bahaa al-Madhoun, undersecretary of the ministry of prisoner’ affairs in Gaza Strip, held the occupation authorities responsible for all Palestinian prisoners’ lives.
Hamduna’s death “showcased the Israeli occupation’s slow death policy against Palestinian prisoners,” he said. A human rights report has earlier revealed that the number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails had increased to 1,800. Some 120 of whom suffer very difficult heath conditions.
Al-Madhoun held international human rights institutions topped by the Red Cross responsible for their continued silence towards the Israeli systematic crimes against Palestinian prisoners.
He also called on the Palestinian Authority to assume its real role towards the prisoners’ issue and to raise their suffering at international forums.
For his part, the leader in Fatah movement Nashat Wahidi called on the Palestinian people to make the prisoners’ issue on their top priorities, calling for investigating the circumstances of Hamduna's death.
He also called for activating resistance against Israeli occupation’s crimes. Palestinian prisoner Yasser Hamduna was proclaimed dead on Sunday morning in an Israeli jail, where he was serving a life prison term.
Hamduna had suffered several heart problems since his detention in June 2003 when he was physically assaulted by soldiers from the Nahshon Battalion.
Despite his poor health condition, he was not provided with appropriate medical care in the infirmary of the Ramla prison compound, where he was taken several times. With his death, the number of Palestinians who died in Israeli jails rose to 208 prisoners. Eight others also died shortly following their release.
In a press conference held Sunday in Gaza City, Palestinian national and Islamic forces held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for Hamduna's death as he was subjected to a deliberate and systematic medical negligence.
Bahaa al-Madhoun, undersecretary of the ministry of prisoner’ affairs in Gaza Strip, held the occupation authorities responsible for all Palestinian prisoners’ lives.
Hamduna’s death “showcased the Israeli occupation’s slow death policy against Palestinian prisoners,” he said. A human rights report has earlier revealed that the number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails had increased to 1,800. Some 120 of whom suffer very difficult heath conditions.
Al-Madhoun held international human rights institutions topped by the Red Cross responsible for their continued silence towards the Israeli systematic crimes against Palestinian prisoners.
He also called on the Palestinian Authority to assume its real role towards the prisoners’ issue and to raise their suffering at international forums.
For his part, the leader in Fatah movement Nashat Wahidi called on the Palestinian people to make the prisoners’ issue on their top priorities, calling for investigating the circumstances of Hamduna's death.
He also called for activating resistance against Israeli occupation’s crimes. Palestinian prisoner Yasser Hamduna was proclaimed dead on Sunday morning in an Israeli jail, where he was serving a life prison term.
Hamduna had suffered several heart problems since his detention in June 2003 when he was physically assaulted by soldiers from the Nahshon Battalion.
Despite his poor health condition, he was not provided with appropriate medical care in the infirmary of the Ramla prison compound, where he was taken several times. With his death, the number of Palestinians who died in Israeli jails rose to 208 prisoners. Eight others also died shortly following their release.
The Hamas Movement has described the death of prisoner Yasser Hamduna in an Israeli jail as a "new crime in Israel's criminal record and a reflection of its inhumane practices against the Palestinian detainees."
"The occupation's inhumane behavior towards the prisoners through its force-feeding law, the administrative detention law and the medical neglect policy confirms its racism and brutality towards our heroic prisoners," Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif al-Qanou said in a press release on Sunday.
Spokesman Qanou called on human rights and medical groups to assume their responsibilities and save the lives of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. He stressed the need to curb Israel's savage and cruel practices against the detainees in its prisons.
"The occupation's inhumane behavior towards the prisoners through its force-feeding law, the administrative detention law and the medical neglect policy confirms its racism and brutality towards our heroic prisoners," Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif al-Qanou said in a press release on Sunday.
Spokesman Qanou called on human rights and medical groups to assume their responsibilities and save the lives of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. He stressed the need to curb Israel's savage and cruel practices against the detainees in its prisons.
25 sept 2016
Palestinian inmates held in Israeli prisons announced on Sunday a three-day hunger strike following the death of their fellow inmate at an Israeli jail earlier in the morning.
The Palestinian detainees staged the strike after news emerged of the death of 40-year-old Yasser Dhiab Hamdouna, who died of a stroke after a failure by Israeli prison officials to provide him with necessary medical care.
The 40-year-old Hamdouna, a resident of the occupied northern West Bank city of Jenein, suffered a stroke on Sunday morning and was pronounced dead upon arrival at an Israeli medical center.
Hamdouna, serving life imprisonment in Ramon jail, had been suffering from recurrent shortness of breath, heart problems as well as agonizing pains in his left ear.
The sources said Hamdouna’s condition further deteriorated in the wake of Israeli prison authorities’ delay in providing treatment for him.
Head of the prisoners’ media office, Abdul Rahman Shedid, said the Israeli prison service had dragged its feet vis-à-vis al-Hamdouna’s cries for help and kept him for over 20 minutes in the prison clinic, where he was pronounced dead following a stroke.
According to Shadid the prisoners returned their meals in protest at Israel’s preplanned medical neglect. Prisoners in the Ramon, Nafha, and Holikdar also decided to close prison sections.
Shadid held the IPS responsible for al-Hamdouna’s death, urging all human rights institutions to speak up against Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinian detainees.
“Hamdouna is one of the victims of Israel’s preplanned executions,” said the head of the prisoners and ex-prisoners committee, Issa Qaraqe.
Spokesperson for the Palestine Center for Studies, Reyad al-Ashqar, said Hamdouna has been suffering since 2014 from unbearable earaches and did not receive treatment despite his frequent cries for help.
Hamdouna, was arrested on June 19, 2003, and sentenced to life on charges of anti-occupation resistance. Human rights groups say at least 208 Palestinians have lost their lives in Israeli prisons and detention centers, 55 of whom died as result of medical negligence.
The Palestinian detainees staged the strike after news emerged of the death of 40-year-old Yasser Dhiab Hamdouna, who died of a stroke after a failure by Israeli prison officials to provide him with necessary medical care.
The 40-year-old Hamdouna, a resident of the occupied northern West Bank city of Jenein, suffered a stroke on Sunday morning and was pronounced dead upon arrival at an Israeli medical center.
Hamdouna, serving life imprisonment in Ramon jail, had been suffering from recurrent shortness of breath, heart problems as well as agonizing pains in his left ear.
The sources said Hamdouna’s condition further deteriorated in the wake of Israeli prison authorities’ delay in providing treatment for him.
Head of the prisoners’ media office, Abdul Rahman Shedid, said the Israeli prison service had dragged its feet vis-à-vis al-Hamdouna’s cries for help and kept him for over 20 minutes in the prison clinic, where he was pronounced dead following a stroke.
According to Shadid the prisoners returned their meals in protest at Israel’s preplanned medical neglect. Prisoners in the Ramon, Nafha, and Holikdar also decided to close prison sections.
Shadid held the IPS responsible for al-Hamdouna’s death, urging all human rights institutions to speak up against Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinian detainees.
“Hamdouna is one of the victims of Israel’s preplanned executions,” said the head of the prisoners and ex-prisoners committee, Issa Qaraqe.
Spokesperson for the Palestine Center for Studies, Reyad al-Ashqar, said Hamdouna has been suffering since 2014 from unbearable earaches and did not receive treatment despite his frequent cries for help.
Hamdouna, was arrested on June 19, 2003, and sentenced to life on charges of anti-occupation resistance. Human rights groups say at least 208 Palestinians have lost their lives in Israeli prisons and detention centers, 55 of whom died as result of medical negligence.
Yasser Thiab Hamdouni 40
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Center for Studies (PPCS) reported Sunday that a Palestinian detainee died from a stroke he suffered in the Ramon Israeli Prison, before he was moved to Soroka hospital.
The detainee suffered various serious health issues but was not provided with the needed treatment and follow-up, the Palestinian Prisoners Media Center said.
Riyad al-Ashqar, the media spokesperson of the Prisoners Media Center, said the detainee, Yasser Thiab Hamdouni, 40, has been suffering from respiratory issues and heart disease, in addition to other complications, including problems in his left ear after Israeli soldiers assaulted him in prison in 2003.
Al-Ashqar added that Hamdouni did not receive urgently needed specialized medical care, and was moved several times from his cell to the Ramla prison clinic, which lacks basic equipment and specialized physicians.
Several months ago, Hamdouni underwent a heart catheterization procedure due to a number of complications, before he was confined to solitary in a cell in Nafha Israeli prison, causing further health complications. While in the solitary cell, he did not receive any medical follow-up or treatment.
Al-Ashqar stated that Hamdouni was kidnapped by the Israeli army on June 19, 2003, and was sentenced to a life term for participating in armed attacks that led to the death of an Israeli soldier, when he was a member of the now disbanded Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fateh movement.
Hamdouni is a married father of two children, from Ya’bad town, in the northern West Bank district of Jenin, and has been imprisoned for fourteen years.
The death of Hamdouni brings the number of Palestinians who died or were killed by the soldiers in prison since 1967 to 208, including 55 who died from the lack of adequate and specialized medical treatment, while eight other died shortly after their release.
Following his death, thousands of Palestinian detainees in various Israeli prisons and detention centers declared a three-day mourning and hunger strike, protesting the illegal Israeli policies denying the detainees access to specialized and professional medical treatment.
The Israeli army pushed more units into the prisons and completely sealed and isolated their various sections in an attempt to prevent the detainees from organizing their protests.
The head of the Palestinian Detainees Committee Issa Qaraqe’ held the Israeli government and especially the Prison Authority fully responsible for Hamdouni’s death, and demanded a credible international investigation into the events that led to his death.
Qaraqe’ added that Israel continues its crimes and violations against the Palestinian people, and especially the detainees, who are subjected to escalating violations.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Center for Studies (PPCS) reported Sunday that a Palestinian detainee died from a stroke he suffered in the Ramon Israeli Prison, before he was moved to Soroka hospital.
The detainee suffered various serious health issues but was not provided with the needed treatment and follow-up, the Palestinian Prisoners Media Center said.
Riyad al-Ashqar, the media spokesperson of the Prisoners Media Center, said the detainee, Yasser Thiab Hamdouni, 40, has been suffering from respiratory issues and heart disease, in addition to other complications, including problems in his left ear after Israeli soldiers assaulted him in prison in 2003.
Al-Ashqar added that Hamdouni did not receive urgently needed specialized medical care, and was moved several times from his cell to the Ramla prison clinic, which lacks basic equipment and specialized physicians.
Several months ago, Hamdouni underwent a heart catheterization procedure due to a number of complications, before he was confined to solitary in a cell in Nafha Israeli prison, causing further health complications. While in the solitary cell, he did not receive any medical follow-up or treatment.
Al-Ashqar stated that Hamdouni was kidnapped by the Israeli army on June 19, 2003, and was sentenced to a life term for participating in armed attacks that led to the death of an Israeli soldier, when he was a member of the now disbanded Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fateh movement.
Hamdouni is a married father of two children, from Ya’bad town, in the northern West Bank district of Jenin, and has been imprisoned for fourteen years.
The death of Hamdouni brings the number of Palestinians who died or were killed by the soldiers in prison since 1967 to 208, including 55 who died from the lack of adequate and specialized medical treatment, while eight other died shortly after their release.
Following his death, thousands of Palestinian detainees in various Israeli prisons and detention centers declared a three-day mourning and hunger strike, protesting the illegal Israeli policies denying the detainees access to specialized and professional medical treatment.
The Israeli army pushed more units into the prisons and completely sealed and isolated their various sections in an attempt to prevent the detainees from organizing their protests.
The head of the Palestinian Detainees Committee Issa Qaraqe’ held the Israeli government and especially the Prison Authority fully responsible for Hamdouni’s death, and demanded a credible international investigation into the events that led to his death.
Qaraqe’ added that Israel continues its crimes and violations against the Palestinian people, and especially the detainees, who are subjected to escalating violations.
16 sept 2016
Israeli soldiers murdered dozens of Arab captives during one of the wars the Israeli army fought in the first decades of Israel's existence, Haaretz Hebrew newspaper revealed.
According to a testimony obtained by Haaretz, captives were ordered to line up and turn around, before they were shot in the back.
The officer who gave the order was released after serving seven months in prison, while his commander was promoted to a high-ranking post.
The dozens of prisoners were soldiers in one of the “enemy armies.” They had surrendered after the battle and thrown down their weapons. Some of them were seriously wounded.
The Israeli soldiers who initially took control of the place gathered the "enemy soldiers" into an interior courtyard surrounded by a wall, gave them food and talked with them about their lives and their military service.
A few hours later, these soldiers were assigned a different mission, and another Israeli force was sent to replace them at the site where the captives were being held.
This changing of the guard prompted questions among the officers at the site as to what to do with the captured enemy soldiers, because the new force refused to accept responsibility for them, while the departing force had no means of transporting the prisoners.
The company commander, who was the officer in charge at the site, then ordered his soldiers to kill the captives. According to the testimony obtained by Haaretz, the captives were ordered to stand in a line and turn around, then shot in the back.
An enemy officer who had been serving as a translator fled, but was shot to death by soldiers from the new force, who were in a jeep.
Following the murder, an army bulldozer piled the bodies into an improvised grave.
Haaretz’s editor stressed by the end of the report that “making the details public remains important even today, in order to understand the history of the Israeli army's combat ethics and to learn leadership, educational and command lessons for the future.”
Israeli Soldiers Murdered Dozens of Captives During One of the Wars the IDF Fought in the First Decades of Israel's Existence
According to testimony obtained by Haaretz, captives were ordered to line up and turn around, before they were shot in the back. The officer who gave the order was released after serving seven months in prison, while his commander was promoted to a high-ranking post.
Israeli soldiers murdered dozens of captives during one of the wars the IDF fought in the first decades of Israel's existence. The officer who gave the order to kill the prisoners was tried, but got off with a ridiculously light sentence. His commander was promoted to an extremely senior post and the entire affair was hushed up.
The dozens of prisoners were soldiers in one of the enemy armies. They had surrendered after the battle and thrown down their weapons. Some of them were seriously wounded.
The Israeli soldiers who initially took control of the place where they surrendered gathered them into an interior courtyard surrounded by a wall, gave them food and talked with them about their lives and their military service.
A few hours later, these soldiers were assigned a different mission, and another Israeli force was sent to replace them at the site where the captives were being held. This changing of the guard prompted questions among the officers at the site as to what to do with the captured enemy soldiers, because the new force refused to accept responsibility for them, while the departing force had no means of transporting the prisoners.
The company commander who was the officer in charge at the site then ordered his soldiers to kill the captives. According to testimony obtained by Haaretz, the captives were ordered to stand in a line and turn around, then shot in the back. An enemy officer who had been serving as a translator fled, but was shot to death by soldiers from the new force, who were in a jeep. Following the murder, an army bulldozer piled the bodies into an improvised grave.
Two eyewitness accounts of the prisoners’ murder were given to a Haaretz reporter many years ago. According to one account, by a man who said he refused to obey the order, the commander ordered him to go down and kill the wounded prisoners. He refused because earlier, the prisoners had asked him if they would be killed, and he had told them no.
The commander threatened to court-martial him for disobeying an order, but he continued to refuse. Then another man – the second witness – jumped up and volunteered to carry out the order.
The testimony of the second witness, who confessed to having participated in killing the prisoners together with three of his comrades, more or less agreed with that of the first witness, even though they hadn’t been in contact with each other and neither of them knew the issue had been discussed with the other. One difference was that the second man claimed he, too, had originally refused to obey the order, but when his commander insisted, he agreed to carry it out. He added that after shooting the captives, he approached them and shot them again from a distance of only five meters to ensure that they were all dead.
The Israel Defense Forces launched a Military Police investigation into the incident, and the investigation ended with the company commander standing trial for murder. He was sentenced to three years in prison and released after just seven months.
The company commander claimed he was ordered to kill the prisoners by his superior, who later reached a very senior position in the IDF. It’s not clear whether the superior officer was ever investigated, but he definitely never stood trial. The company commander worked as a tour guide after leaving the army, and when asked about the subject by a Haaretz reporter years later, he replied that “the matter is classified” and told him to direct his questions “to the security services.”
This murder of dozens of prisoners was one of the most serious war crimes in the IDF’s history, but the army whitewashed it and hushed it up. Making the details public remains important even today, in order to understand the history of the IDF’s combat ethics and to learn leadership, educational and command lessons for the future.
According to a testimony obtained by Haaretz, captives were ordered to line up and turn around, before they were shot in the back.
The officer who gave the order was released after serving seven months in prison, while his commander was promoted to a high-ranking post.
The dozens of prisoners were soldiers in one of the “enemy armies.” They had surrendered after the battle and thrown down their weapons. Some of them were seriously wounded.
The Israeli soldiers who initially took control of the place gathered the "enemy soldiers" into an interior courtyard surrounded by a wall, gave them food and talked with them about their lives and their military service.
A few hours later, these soldiers were assigned a different mission, and another Israeli force was sent to replace them at the site where the captives were being held.
This changing of the guard prompted questions among the officers at the site as to what to do with the captured enemy soldiers, because the new force refused to accept responsibility for them, while the departing force had no means of transporting the prisoners.
The company commander, who was the officer in charge at the site, then ordered his soldiers to kill the captives. According to the testimony obtained by Haaretz, the captives were ordered to stand in a line and turn around, then shot in the back.
An enemy officer who had been serving as a translator fled, but was shot to death by soldiers from the new force, who were in a jeep.
Following the murder, an army bulldozer piled the bodies into an improvised grave.
Haaretz’s editor stressed by the end of the report that “making the details public remains important even today, in order to understand the history of the Israeli army's combat ethics and to learn leadership, educational and command lessons for the future.”
Israeli Soldiers Murdered Dozens of Captives During One of the Wars the IDF Fought in the First Decades of Israel's Existence
According to testimony obtained by Haaretz, captives were ordered to line up and turn around, before they were shot in the back. The officer who gave the order was released after serving seven months in prison, while his commander was promoted to a high-ranking post.
Israeli soldiers murdered dozens of captives during one of the wars the IDF fought in the first decades of Israel's existence. The officer who gave the order to kill the prisoners was tried, but got off with a ridiculously light sentence. His commander was promoted to an extremely senior post and the entire affair was hushed up.
The dozens of prisoners were soldiers in one of the enemy armies. They had surrendered after the battle and thrown down their weapons. Some of them were seriously wounded.
The Israeli soldiers who initially took control of the place where they surrendered gathered them into an interior courtyard surrounded by a wall, gave them food and talked with them about their lives and their military service.
A few hours later, these soldiers were assigned a different mission, and another Israeli force was sent to replace them at the site where the captives were being held. This changing of the guard prompted questions among the officers at the site as to what to do with the captured enemy soldiers, because the new force refused to accept responsibility for them, while the departing force had no means of transporting the prisoners.
The company commander who was the officer in charge at the site then ordered his soldiers to kill the captives. According to testimony obtained by Haaretz, the captives were ordered to stand in a line and turn around, then shot in the back. An enemy officer who had been serving as a translator fled, but was shot to death by soldiers from the new force, who were in a jeep. Following the murder, an army bulldozer piled the bodies into an improvised grave.
Two eyewitness accounts of the prisoners’ murder were given to a Haaretz reporter many years ago. According to one account, by a man who said he refused to obey the order, the commander ordered him to go down and kill the wounded prisoners. He refused because earlier, the prisoners had asked him if they would be killed, and he had told them no.
The commander threatened to court-martial him for disobeying an order, but he continued to refuse. Then another man – the second witness – jumped up and volunteered to carry out the order.
The testimony of the second witness, who confessed to having participated in killing the prisoners together with three of his comrades, more or less agreed with that of the first witness, even though they hadn’t been in contact with each other and neither of them knew the issue had been discussed with the other. One difference was that the second man claimed he, too, had originally refused to obey the order, but when his commander insisted, he agreed to carry it out. He added that after shooting the captives, he approached them and shot them again from a distance of only five meters to ensure that they were all dead.
The Israel Defense Forces launched a Military Police investigation into the incident, and the investigation ended with the company commander standing trial for murder. He was sentenced to three years in prison and released after just seven months.
The company commander claimed he was ordered to kill the prisoners by his superior, who later reached a very senior position in the IDF. It’s not clear whether the superior officer was ever investigated, but he definitely never stood trial. The company commander worked as a tour guide after leaving the army, and when asked about the subject by a Haaretz reporter years later, he replied that “the matter is classified” and told him to direct his questions “to the security services.”
This murder of dozens of prisoners was one of the most serious war crimes in the IDF’s history, but the army whitewashed it and hushed it up. Making the details public remains important even today, in order to understand the history of the IDF’s combat ethics and to learn leadership, educational and command lessons for the future.
