Palestinian prisoner, who was in Israeli prison for 38 years, dies, despite not being given treatment for cancer

Another Palestinian prisoner has died in an Israeli prison. 62-year-old Walid Dakka, who was imprisoned in an Israeli prison for 38 years, died under suspicious circumstances at Shamir Medical Center near Tel Aviv. According to Israeli authorities, his death was due to cancer, he was diagnosed with cancer in December 2022 and he also had leukaemia.

Dakka was accused of being associated with a group that murdered an Israeli soldier. Dakka was convicted of kidnapping and murder of an Israeli soldier in 1984, after which he was in jail.

Initially, Dakka was sentenced to life imprisonment, which was later reduced to 37 years. But in 2018, the sentence was extended by 2 more years, he was to be released in March 2025. But he died before that.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club, an association of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, said Dakka’s appeal for medical parole had been rejected. However, the Palestinian side has made many other allegations of his death.

The commission advocating for Palestinian prisoners alleged that Dakka’s death was the result of Israel’s ‘slow killing’ policy. According to the commission, he was not treated by the jail administration nor was he given medical parole. Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is in charge of the Israel Prison Service, wrote in a social media post, “Israel does not regret the death of a terrorist.” He further said that his death was common and was not part of any punishment.

Protests have been seen in Palestinian cities after Dakka’s death under suspicious circumstances. Palestinian news agency ‘Wafa’ described Dakka as a “freedom fighter”. Whereas Hamas reacted and held the Israeli administration responsible for his death.