Accra: A Palestinian child remains unconscious and on a ventilator after suffering torture and medical neglect during his detention in an Israeli prison, with his right foot at risk of amputation, a prisoners' rights group said Sunday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Palestinian Prisoner Society reported that Mohammed Hmeid, 16, from the town of Tuqu' in the southern West Bank province of Bethlehem, was detained by Israeli forces on February 25, 2026. He was held in the juvenile section of Ofer Prison near Ramallah, where he faced 'harsh detention conditions that included torture, abuse, starvation and denial of treatment.' The group added that his family and the International Committee of the Red Cross were barred from visiting him.
The group detailed that Hmeid contracted scabies in April but was denied necessary treatment, leading to severe skin infections. He developed a high fever and was taken to the prison clinic, where he was diagnosed with a severe urinary tract infection and elevated blood sugar levels.
On July 20, Hmeid was transferred to the Israeli Shaare Zedek hospital after the Ramla Prison clinic refused to admit him due to his scabies condition. Despite his deteriorating health, he was returned to Ofer Prison within 12 hours and kept there for four days with only antibiotics, which did not improve his condition.
Hmeid underwent heart surgery, and examinations revealed neurological damage affecting multiple parts of his body, including his right foot, which is at risk of amputation. Despite his critical condition, Hmeid remained shackled to his hospital bed.
Following intervention by Israeli group Physicians for Human Rights, Hmeid's family visited him after authorities decided to release him due to his 'extremely critical' condition. He remains unconscious in the intensive care unit at Shaare Zedek hospital, with doctors awaiting stabilization to assess potential amputation.
The group emphasized that Hmeid's case reflects a broader Israeli policy denying prisoners health care, with Palestinian prisoners' organizations documenting similar cases where detainees were released only at critical illness stages. It highlighted that around 350 Palestinian children are held in Israeli prisons, with more than 100 Palestinian detainees having died in Israeli custody since October 2023. Israel currently holds approximately 9,400 Palestinian prisoners, including 94 women and over 350 children.