Israeli court rejects release of Palestinian prisoner battling cancer

An Israeli court has refused to immediately release cancer-stricken Palestinian prisoner Walid Daqqa as his condition deteriorates as a result of decades-long imprisonment.

In a statement released on Monday, the Daqqa family said prison authorities have denied him proper medical treatment.

The family statement said "any decision or judgment that does not lead to the immediate release of the prisoner" would be considered as paving the way to "execute him by procrastinating in deciding on his release."

The statement also said the scope of the 61-year-old's condition was even recognized by the Israel Prison Service.

Daqqa's actual life sentence, which was commuted to 37 years, has finished. But in May Israeli authorities extended his jail term.

His family keep calling for support by human rights groups to release Daqqa.

Daqqa was detained on March 25, 1986 along with a group of his comrades for taking part in a Palestinian resistance operation targeting an Israeli soldier. He is currently one of the longest-held inmates in Israeli jails.

Daqqa has faced medical negligence since he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2015. Additionally, he was diagnosed last year with Myelofibrosis – a rare form of bone marrow cancer.

In April, Daqqa underwent lung surgery at the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, following a sharp decline in his condition. A large part of his right lung was removed.

He had suffered a stroke earlier this year, according to Addameer, a rights group that supports Palestinian prisoners.

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