The most prominent Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, was beaten unconscious by Israeli prison guards on 14 September, his family has said. The 66-year-old, serving life for planning deadly attacks against Israelis, was allegedly assaulted by eight guards during a transfer between Ganot and Megiddo prisons. The Israel Prison Service told the BBC: These are false claims (fake). The Israel Prison Service operates in accordance with the law, while ensuring the safety and health of all inmates.
Barghouti's son, Arab, told the BBC the family had received testimony from five separate detainees who were released this week who heard Barghouti's account of the attack. He said the family was horrified. Barghouti was allegedly handcuffed by the guards, put on the floor, kicked, and beaten. They focused on the head area, they focused on the chest area and also on the legs, he said. He stayed unconscious for hours, he was bleeding, and he could hardly walk.
Arab expressed his belief that the attack occurred during the transfer between the two prisons, as there were no surveillance cameras to capture it. Barghouti is serving five life sentences plus 40 years after being convicted by an Israeli court in 2004 of planning attacks that resulted in five civilian deaths.
The detainees who informed the family of the attack had been released as part of the recent hostage and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Barghouti’s name was at the top of a list of seven high-profile prisoners whose release Hamas sought in return for the 20 Israeli hostages they are holding in Gaza, but Israeli authorities refused to include him. Many view Barghouti as a unifying figure among Palestinians across different regions. Opinion polls consistently show him as the most popular Palestinian leader, with strong support ahead of both the current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leaders.
Barghouti remains a senior figure in the Fatah faction, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control, and has been held in solitary confinement since October 2023. Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, overseeing the prison service, denied the allegations of assault but expressed pride in Barghouti’s worsening prison conditions. In August, a video surfaced showing Ben Gvir taunting Barghouti in his cell, which further escalated concerns regarding treatment and conditions for Palestinian prisoners.
As the Palestinian Authority condemned the actions of Ben Gvir, there’s growing international scrutiny on how Israel handles prisoners, especially those with significant political implications like Marwan Barghouti.
Barghouti's son, Arab, told the BBC the family had received testimony from five separate detainees who were released this week who heard Barghouti's account of the attack. He said the family was horrified. Barghouti was allegedly handcuffed by the guards, put on the floor, kicked, and beaten. They focused on the head area, they focused on the chest area and also on the legs, he said. He stayed unconscious for hours, he was bleeding, and he could hardly walk.
Arab expressed his belief that the attack occurred during the transfer between the two prisons, as there were no surveillance cameras to capture it. Barghouti is serving five life sentences plus 40 years after being convicted by an Israeli court in 2004 of planning attacks that resulted in five civilian deaths.
The detainees who informed the family of the attack had been released as part of the recent hostage and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Barghouti’s name was at the top of a list of seven high-profile prisoners whose release Hamas sought in return for the 20 Israeli hostages they are holding in Gaza, but Israeli authorities refused to include him. Many view Barghouti as a unifying figure among Palestinians across different regions. Opinion polls consistently show him as the most popular Palestinian leader, with strong support ahead of both the current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leaders.
Barghouti remains a senior figure in the Fatah faction, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control, and has been held in solitary confinement since October 2023. Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, overseeing the prison service, denied the allegations of assault but expressed pride in Barghouti’s worsening prison conditions. In August, a video surfaced showing Ben Gvir taunting Barghouti in his cell, which further escalated concerns regarding treatment and conditions for Palestinian prisoners.
As the Palestinian Authority condemned the actions of Ben Gvir, there’s growing international scrutiny on how Israel handles prisoners, especially those with significant political implications like Marwan Barghouti.
