A child’s heart, a prisoner’s leg: medical crimes inside Israeli prisons
Palestinian detainees during an Israeli prison transfer
The Palestine Chronicle reports on 31 July 2026:
Key Takeaways
- A 15-year-old Palestinian detainee underwent emergency open-heart surgery while in Israeli custody.
- A wounded prisoner had his right leg amputated after being shot and detained.
- The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club says both cases reflect a broader pattern of medical neglect.
- Rights groups called for urgent international intervention and accountability.
Two recent cases involving a Palestinian child detainee who underwent emergency open-heart surgery and a wounded prisoner whose leg was amputated have renewed warnings from Palestinian rights organizations about what they describe as systematic “medical crimes” inside Israeli prisons.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said the cases illustrate a wider pattern of medical neglect, denial of treatment, and abuse targeting Palestinian detainees, particularly those arrested during Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and intensified military operations across the occupied West Bank.
Child Undergoes Emergency Heart Surgery
The organization said Israeli prison authorities bear full responsibility for the condition of Mohammad Mousa Suleiman Hamid, a 15-year-old from the town of Tuqu’ near Bethlehem, who has been detained since February 2026.
According to the Prisoners’ Club, Hamid’s health deteriorated dramatically several days ago before his family was informed that he had undergone open-heart surgery at Israel’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The family was not permitted to visit him or receive direct updates on his condition, learning of the operation only through legal and human rights organizations and the child’s lawyer.
Before his transfer to hospital, Hamid had been held at Ofer Prison and remains in Israeli detention. The organization said his family insisted he had not suffered from any known heart condition before his arrest and that they were shocked to receive notification that he would require major cardiac surgery.