RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society says the case of detainee Mohammad Musa Hamid, 15, exposes systematic crimes committed by the Israeli prison authorities against inmates, including the denial of medical treatment, which it described as “slow killing.”
The society said Hamid, born on Aug. 13, 2010, from Tuqu’ town southeast of Bethlehem, was detained by Israeli forces on Feb. 25, 2026, and held in the minors’ section of Ofer Prison.
He was then subjected to, like other child detainees, harsh detention conditions, including torture, abuse, starvation, and denial of medical care, the organization claims, according to the WAFA news agency on Sunday.
BACKGROUND
Mohammed Musa Hamid, born on Aug. 13, 2010, from Tuqu’ town southeast of Bethlehem, was detained by Israeli forces on Feb. 25, 2026, and held in the minors’ section of Ofer Prison.
His family has also been denied visits, while the International Committee of the Red Cross has been prevented from visiting prisoners, in continued violation of international humanitarian law.
The organization said Hamid contracted scabies in April 2026, but the prison administration refused to provide him with the necessary treatment, causing his condition to worsen and resulting in severe skin infections.
His health deteriorated rapidly in July when he developed a high fever and was transferred to the prison clinic, where initial examinations revealed an acute urinary tract infection and elevated blood sugar levels.
The society added that on July 20, Hamid was transferred to the Israeli Shaare Zedek Medical Center after the Ramle prison clinic refused to receive him due to his scabies infection.
However, Israeli authorities returned him to Ofer Prison less than 12 hours later despite the seriousness of his condition, leaving him for four days on antibiotics without any improvement.
As his condition continued to deteriorate, Israeli authorities transferred him again to Shaare Zedek Medical Center on July 25, where medical tests revealed that the infection had spread to several organs, including his heart and brain.
On July 27, he underwent heart surgery, and it was later found that he had suffered neurological damage affecting several parts of his body, including his right foot, which may require amputation.
The society said that throughout his hospitalization, despite the critical state of his health, Hamid remained shackled and under the guard of prison officers.
It added that on July 30, following intervention by the Israeli organization Physicians for Human Rights, Hamid’s family was allowed to visit him after Israeli authorities decided to release him due to the severity of his condition.
However, the child remains unconscious and on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, while doctors wait for his condition to stabilize before deciding whether to amputate his foot.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society stressed that Hamid’s case reflects Israeli policy of depriving Palestinian prisoners medical care until they are in critical condition. Some detainees are released so that Israeli authorities can evade legal and criminal responsibility.
The society described these actions as a form of “slow killing.”
