Prominent Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti assaulted three times in a month, family says

Family reports repeated violence in Israeli custody

A family member of Marwan Barghouti, a key Palestinian detainee, claims he has faced repeated physical assaults within Israeli prisons over the past month. Arab Barghouti informed the BBC that he was “shocked and appalled” to learn from his father’s Israeli lawyer that guards had attacked him three times, including an incident involving a guard dog. The family alleges the assaults targeted Barghouti due to his political stature.

IPS dismisses claims of abuse

The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) labeled the allegations as “unsubstantiated and without merit.” In a statement, the IPS stated it was “not aware of any incidents as described” and insisted that all prisoners receive medical care per health ministry guidelines. However, the family insists Barghouti has previously been severely beaten, once suffering four broken ribs and head trauma.

Political significance and detention conditions

Barghouti, who was arrested exactly 24 years ago during the second intifada, is serving five life sentences and 40 additional years for planning attacks on Israeli civilians. He founded the Tanzim, an armed wing of the Fatah political movement, and remains a member of its Central Committee. Polls suggest he is the most admired Palestinian figure, even while incarcerated, due to his ability to bridge political divides and his historical rapport with Israeli officials.

Escalating reports of mistreatment

Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel that ignited the Gaza conflict, there have been rising reports from UN bodies and Israeli rights organizations of Palestinian detainees enduring harsh treatment. This includes routine beatings, sexual violence, starvation, and severe medical neglect, with dozens of Palestinians reportedly dying in custody. Human rights groups attribute this to an Israeli policy of systemic abuse, citing far-right officials like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who have advocated for harsher conditions.

Recent incidents and public exposure

Israeli lawyer Ben Marmarelli, who visited Barghouti in Megiddo Prison, shared on X that guards had attacked his client three weeks prior with a dog. During transfer to another facility, Barghouti was beaten. A week later, in Ganot Prison, he was allegedly “severely beaten and left bleeding for more than two hours,” with medical care denied. Last year, Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself confronting Barghouti in his cell, marking the first public appearance of the prisoner in years. He looked aged and emaciated.

International criticism and historical context

He’s someone who represents hope for unity, for democratic renewal, for a better future for the Palestinian people. He’s a target because he gives hope to the Palestinian people.

Arab Barghouti expressed “enraged” frustration that Western leaders remained silent on the “disgusting” treatment of detainees, which he said “dehumanised” Palestinians. The UN Committee against Torture had previously highlighted concerns over a “de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture and ill treatment” in Israeli jails, according to a September 2023 report.

Current detention statistics

According to IPS records, 9,560 Palestinians are held as security prisoners, with over 3,500 subject to administrative detention without trial. Barghouti has spent the last two-and-a-half years in solitary confinement, a measure his family claims has exacerbated his physical and mental suffering. Despite these conditions, his influence endures, with many Palestinians viewing him as a modern-day Nelson Mandela figure.