RAMALLAH /PNN / A lawyer for prominent Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti said his client has been subjected to multiple physical assaults in recent weeks inside Israeli prisons, warning of what he described as a “concerning pattern” of escalating violations, including violence, medical neglect and ill-treatment.
The lawyer, Ben Marmarili, said in a statement following a visit on April 12 that Barghouti had been subjected to three separate assaults over a short period. He said the most serious incident occurred on April 8 at Ganot prison, where Barghouti was “severely beaten and left bleeding for more than two hours,” adding that his request for medical care was denied.
He added that another incident took place on March 25 during Barghouti’s transfer from Megiddo prison to Ganot, when he was assaulted during transport. A day earlier, on March 24, prison guards reportedly entered his cell in Megiddo accompanied by a dog, forced him to lie on the ground and allowed the dog to repeatedly attack him, according to the lawyer’s account.
Marmarili said the incidents were “not isolated” but reflected a broader escalation of violations inside prisons, including the use of violence and denial of medical treatment, putting prisoners’ lives at risk.
He described the visit conditions as “harsh and inhumane,” noting that communication with his client took place by shouting through glass due to non-functioning phones, which prevented a normal conversation. He added that he spent around five hours inside the prison without food or water in an effort to ensure the visit was meaningful.
“These conditions reflect the reality of legal visits in prisons, where prisoners and their lawyers are denied basic rights and face restrictions that obstruct communication, in violation of humanitarian and professional standards,” he said.
Despite this, Marmarili said Barghouti appeared “mentally alert and focused,” and was keen to follow developments in Palestinian and Israeli affairs, as well as to learn more about his family and the situation outside prison.
Separately, Abdullah Al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Society , said the latest reported assaults against Barghouti, who is held in isolation, were further evidence that Israeli authorities were pursuing efforts to “eliminate” him and other prominent Palestinian prisoners.
Al-Zaghari said documented testimonies from prisoners held in solitary confinement indicated what he described as a systematic plan to target detainees through continuous abuse inside prisons, which he said had become “a clear environment for the practice of genocide.” He added that dozens of prisoners have been held in prolonged solitary confinement since the start of the war, with severe restrictions preventing visits or monitoring of their conditions.
He said Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody face what he described as “multi-layered, deliberate policies,” including torture, starvation, denial of medical care and other violations. He also referred to what he described as a “so-called law” on executing prisoners, calling it discriminatory and targeting Palestinians specifically.
Al-Zaghari held Israeli authorities fully responsible for the safety of Barghouti and all prisoners, urging international human rights organisations and the global community to take immediate action to stop what he described as ongoing violations and to work toward securing the release of detainees.
According to Palestinian figures, more than 9,600 Palestinian and Arab prisoners are currently held in Israeli prisons as of early April, including 86 women, 350 children and over 3,500 administrative detainees held without charge.