Occupied Palestinian – Palestinian ex-detainee in Israeli jails, Hussein Masalma, has died on Wednesday, after a long struggle with illness and due to medical negligence, in a Palestinian hospital in Ramallah.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has confirmed last night that 39-year-old Masalma, who was recently released from an Israeli prison after his condition seriously deteriorated, has died at a Palestinian hospital in Ramallah, in central West Bank.
The PPS stated that Masalma, who is from the al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, was released from Israeli prisons in February 2021, after serving a 19-year sentence, when his condition became extremely serious after he was denied from receiving an urgent specialized medical treatment for Leukemia.
The PPS added that Masalma was first moved to Hadassah Israeli medical center, before being sent, a week ago, to the Istishari Arab Hospital in Ramallah.
The PPS held the occupation state fully responsible for Masalma’s death, especially since he was subject to medical negligence while in prison, and only started receiving treatment when his condition became serious.
It is worth mentioning that Masalma started suffering from complications and sharp pain in late 2020.
However, the occupation state took more than a month to send him to the clinic of the Negev Desert detention camp and was only moved to an Israeli hospital when his condition became very serious, and the physicians found out that he has an End-Stage of Leukemia.
Masalma was arrested in 2002 for resisting the occupation and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Masalma stated after his release that he has been suffering for two years and that the Israeli physicians didn’t render an accurate diagnosis to his condition.
“For more than two years I have been suffering, and they couldn’t diagnose my condition currently,” he said, “It is not just me, there are so many detainees suffering from serious conditions.”
