Palestinian rights group warns leader Ahmad Saadat’s life is in danger in Israeli custody
The Palestinian Prisoners Society warned Sunday that Ahmad Saadat, the 72-year-old secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), faces a life-threatening situation after being severely beaten inside Israeli custody
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) — The Palestinian Prisoners Society warned Sunday that Ahmad Saadat, the 72-year-old secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), faces a life-threatening situation after being severely beaten inside Israeli custody.
Abdullah al-Zaghari, who heads the organization, told Anadolu Agency that Saadat was assaulted during his transfer from Megiddo prison in northern Israel to Gilboa prison in the south. He did not provide further details on the timing or circumstances of the attack.
“Saadat’s health condition is difficult, and the Israeli assaults pose a threat to his life,” Zaghari said, adding that the beating appears to be part of an “ongoing targeting of leaders of the prisoners’ movement” under directives from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
He warned that Israeli policies endanger “Saadat’s life and the lives of all leaders of the prisoners’ movement, who are subjected to brutal assaults despite the cease-fire agreement in Gaza.” Zaghari urged urgent protection for detainees, saying they are held in “extremely harsh and oppressive conditions.”
Saadat has been imprisoned since 2006, serving a 30-year sentence linked to the 2001 assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi.
Detainees report ‘harsh and humiliating’ conditions
Separately, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees Affairs said conditions at Israel’s Ofer military prison, west of Ramallah, remain “harsh and humiliating,” citing testimonies from detainees visited by a lawyer.
According to the commission, detainee Ahmed Hareesh of Beitunia suffers from severe stomach pain suspected to be caused by bacteria, yet he is only given painkillers. It said medical staff take hours to arrive “and sometimes do not come at all.”
Hareesh also described mass raids on cells, assaults on detainees and prolonged handcuffing.
Another detainee, 24-year-old Najy Sharif Awadallah, also from Beitunia, reported “extremely harsh” conditions, with frequent beatings, daily searches, limited food, poor hygiene and sleep deprivation caused by removing mattresses at 6 a.m.
A third detainee, 20-year-old Ezz al-Din Khaddour from Biddu, said he has gone without medical care for 70 days for a pre-existing foot injury, despite needing medication and follow-up treatment.
The commission said the testimonies highlight the worsening humanitarian situation inside Ofer amid repeated calls by rights groups for urgent intervention and an end to violations against detainees.
More than 20,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained by Israeli forces since the Gaza war began in October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.
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