The family of the most prominent Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, says that he has again been subjected to physical violence behind bars in Israel.
Arab Barghouti told the BBC he was shocked and appalled to hear from his father's Israeli lawyer that he had been assaulted three times by Israeli prison guards in the past month.
The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) said that the allegations made are false and baseless.
Marwan Barghouti was convicted by an Israeli court of planning deadly attacks against Israeli civilians and is currently serving five life sentences plus 40 years.
He was arrested exactly 24 years ago, at the height of the Palestinians' second intifada, or uprising. He had set up the Tanzim, an armed wing of the Fatah political faction.
Opinion polls indicate that despite his imprisonment, Barghouti is the most popular Palestinian leader. He remains a member of the Fatah Central Committee.
Many Palestinians view the 66-year-old as their equivalent of South Africa's Nelson Mandela and point to his ability to unite different political factions and his past rapport with Israeli leaders.
Arab Barghouti argued that his father's prominence had led to him being singled out for attacks and abuse.
He's someone who represents hope for unity, for democratic renewal, for a better future for the Palestinian people, he said. He's a target because he gives hope to the Palestinian people.
The Israeli lawyer, Ben Marmarelli, visited Marwan Barghouti in prison on Sunday. He reported that guards entered his client's cell in Megiddo Prison and repeatedly attacked him with a guard dog; he was later beaten during a transfer to another Israeli jail.
Last week in Ganot Prison, Marmarelli said that Barghouti was severely beaten and left bleeding for more than two hours. He requested medical care and was denied treatment.
Since the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, which triggered the Gaza war, UN agencies and Israeli rights groups have reported an increase in claims of abuse of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including routine beatings, sexual violence, starvation, and severe medical negligence. Dozens of Palestinians are reported to have died in detention as a result.
Human rights groups attribute this to an established Israeli policy, noting some Israeli officials, including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have called for harsher conditions.
Last year, the United Nations Committee against Torture expressed deep concern about reports indicating a de facto state policy of organized and widespread torture and ill treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.
The IPS denies claims of systematic abuse and states that incidents of individual misconduct are investigated.
Marwan Barghouti has been kept in solitary confinement for the past two-and-a-half years. His family says he has previously been severely beaten by guards, suffering multiple injuries.
Arab Barghouti expressed his outrage that Western leaders have not condemned the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, arguing this leads to the dehumanization of Palestinians.
