RAMALLAH, Palestine \/ ISTANBUL<\/p>\n
The Palestinian Prisoners\u2019 Society warned Friday of a \u201cdangerous plan\u201d it said aims to assassinate imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti inside Israeli jails, amid allegations of severe assaults and growing international calls for his release.<\/p>\n
Barghouti, a member of Fatah\u2019s Central Committee and a leading figure in Palestinian politics, was arrested by Israel in 2002 and convicted of murder and attempted murder. He is serving five life sentences and remains widely popular among Palestinians.<\/p>\n
Amjad al-Najjar, the group\u2019s director general, said in a statement that \u201cthe escalation of assaults against the leader Marwan Barghouti, coinciding with international movements and figures calling for his immediate release, reflects dangerous intentions within the occupation government to get rid of him while in detention, in a compounded crime and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.\u201d<\/p>\n
He urged the UN and international organizations to \u201cintervene urgently,\u201d dispatch \u201ca UN committee to visit leader Barghouti, examine his conditions in solitary confinement, and exert real pressure to secure his release and save his life before it is too late.\u201d<\/p>\n
Family alleges violent assault<\/p>\n
In a post on Facebook, Qassam Barghouti, the son of the imprisoned leader, cited a former prisoner who told him Friday that Israeli forces \u201ccrushed his father\u2019s body, broke his teeth, ribs, and fingers, and cut part of his ear inside prison.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said efforts to reach the alleged source again had failed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe contacted all official and legal bodies we could to help us obtain any information, but until this moment, we have been unable to do so,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Palestinian Presidency response<\/p>\n
The Palestinian Presidency condemned what it called \u201congoing assaults and dangerous retaliatory measures\u201d targeting Barghouti, holding the Israeli government fully and directly responsible for his safety and the safety of all prisoners in Israeli custody.<\/p>\n
It called on the international community, human rights organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to \u201cact immediately and urgently\u201d to pressure Israel to halt violations.<\/p>\n
Previous threats and political stakes
On Feb. 18, Israel\u2019s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed Barghouti\u2019s cell and issued death threats against him, according to video released by Israeli media at the time.<\/p>\n
Barghouti is frequently viewed by analysts as a unifying figure capable of rallying Palestinians around a \u201ctwo-state solution,\u201d particularly amid shifts following Israel\u2019s genocide in the Gaza Strip. <\/p>\n
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s government continues to oppose the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 23, US President Donald Trump said he would decide whether to push for Barghouti\u2019s release, but no decision has been announced.<\/p>\n
Prison conditions<\/p>\n
More than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners remain in Israeli jails, including children and women, and \u201csuffer from torture, starvation, and medical neglect\u201d \u2014 conditions that have led to deaths in custody, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights reports.<\/p>\n