Amnesty International said on Wednesday that the Israeli authorities must immediately release Walid Daqqa, a terminally ill Palestinian prisoner. 

Daqqa, 62, suffers from chronic lung disease and bone marrow cancer, and the clinic in the Ayalon Prison is not sufficiently equipped to provide him the treatment that he needs. 

After his cancer diagnosis last year, Israel Prison Service prevented him from undergoing a potentially life-saving bone marrow transplant after refusing to transfer him to a civilian hospital.

”Walid Daqqah’s case illustrates the Israeli justice system’s cruelty towards Palestinians, including those who are seriously ill or dying. Walid’s health conditions have already been exacerbated by medical neglect on the part of the Israeli Prison Service – when he had a stroke earlier this year, the IPS refused to transfer him to a proper hospital for 11 days, a delay which led to life-threatening complications. Now, Walid Daqqah faces the prospect of a painful death behind bars,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.  

“Denying prisoners access to adequate medical care violates international standards on the treatment of detainees, and may constitute torture. Israeli authorities must release Walid Daqqah on humanitarian grounds as soon as possible, and ensure that he is provided with the medical care he urgently needs," she added.

The decision to keep Daqqa in jail directly contradicts an expert medical opinion to transfer him to a hygienic environemnt from earlier this year. 

Daqqa served a 37-year prison sentence for his involvement with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine when it abducted and killed an Israeli soldier in 1984, but was sentenced to an additional two years for attempting to smuggle phones to other Palestinian prisoners. 

His current release date is March 2025, but his condition means he may not live until this point.

In June, a special committee rejected Walid Daqqa's request for an early release in light of his health condition, and the petition against this decision later turned down in August.