The condition and well-being of Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti are reportedly serious and critical, after his family said they have been informed of an alleged incident of abuse he was subjected.
According to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees on Friday, the Barghouti family received an anonymous call from an Israeli phone number claiming to be a recently freed prisoner, who revealed that Barghouti had recently suffered a brutal assault by prison guards. The caller said that "a part of his ear had been cut off" and that some of his ribs, fingers, and teeth "had been broken during repeated rounds of torture and abuse".
The Commission said the call has caused immense distress to Barghouti's family as well as the Palestinian community, and attempts to contact the number were unsuccessful.
The Commission said it will work with the Palestinian leadership to uncover details of Barghouti’s alleged assault and determine his current condition.
In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said: "Once again, grave concerns are escalating regarding the fate and life of imprisoned leader Marwan Barghouti, following a new act of intimidation targeting his family. This constitutes a direct extension of the systematic terrorism policy implemented by the occupation regime against the families of prisoners, in an attempt to break their will and psychologically blackmail them."
News of Barghouti’s alleged attack came as the Palestinian Authority (PA) issued a stern warning against the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, calling their abuse a blatant violation of international laws and conventions, including the four Geneva Conventions.
It also labelled such attacks as "war crimes," which reflect "a systematic Israeli policy aimed at torturing Palestinian detainees, attempting to break their will and punish them collectively."
In its statement, the PA also said it held the Israeli government responsible for the safety of Barghouti and other detainees.
Barghouti, an emblematic figure in Palestinian activism, has been held in an Israeli prison for over two decades after he was convicted of being behind attacks in Israel which killed five people.
A member of Fatah, the Palestinian political party active in the West Bank, Barghouti has long been touted as its next leader amid discontent with current President Mahmoud Abbas’ authority.
Hopes had been held for 66-year-old Barghouti to be freed during the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in October, amid an exchange of Palestinian detainees for Israeli captives.
The detainee was recently subjected to mockery and abuse from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who went to his prison cell to deliberately taunt him.
In August, the extremist minister stormed his jail cell and made threatening remarks to him. In a video clip shared online, Ben-Gvir could be heard saying: "You won't win. Whoever messes with the nation of Israel, whoever murders our children and women, we will wipe them out. You should know this; this happened throughout history."
More recently, Barghouti’s imprisonment has triggered a wave of calls among civil society groups, urging his release and for him to be the focus of future Gaza ceasefire talks.