Maysara Abu Hamdiya

Maysara Abu Hamdiya
Born 1948
Hebron
Palestine
Died April 2, 2013
(aged 65)
Soroka jail, Beersheba,
Israel
Cause of death Throat cancer

Maysara Ahmed Mohammed Abuhamdia (1948 - April 2, میَّسرہ ابو حامدیہ) (2013) was a fighter in the Palestine Liberation Organization. He joined the Palestinian Student Union and was arrested and sentenced to 10 months in jail in 1969 for affiliation with the Union since all Palestinian unions were and are still banned under Israeli Law.[1] Later in 1970, he joined the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and became one of its fighters.[2] He was with PLO in South Lebanon within Fatah forces fighting against the Israeli forces that invaded Lebanon. He then moved to mobilize the resistance against the Israeli invasion and occupation of the West Bank. He was arrested at the end of 1975 and deported to Jordan in 1978. In Jordan, he was the assistant for Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad) and was responsible for the Intifada Logistics. He returned to the West Bank at the end of 1998 and joined the Preventive Security Apparatus of the Palestinian Authority as a Colonel.[3] After the beginning of the Second Intifada in September 2000, he was arrested and accused of being responsible for the Hamas cell in the West Bank.[4] He was given a life sentence, which is 99 years according to Israeli Military Law.[5] From the point of view of most Palestinians, Abuhamdia is considered a national hero[6] who fought the Israeli Colonization and the building of Jewish Colonies in the West Bank. Most Western countries would consider him and all Palestinian fighters as terrorists. Abuhamdia's heroism was reflected through the clashes that spread inside the prisons and the Israeli use of force to subdue the Palestinian prisoners after his death.[7] He was promoted to General and soon after to Major General by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. A formal military funeral was held after his death.[8]

Eight months prior to his death, Abuhamdia complained of general weakness, sore throat and pain in his joints.[9] After examination by a doctor, according to his family, he received some shots. Abuhamdia asked again for proper examination to diagnose his illness. After four additional months, prison staff transported Abuhamdia to the hospital in Tel-Aviv. According to Abuhamdia's wife, he said, "They transferred me to the hospital in the prisoners bus. The steel bus seats were uncomfortable. I fell many times during the 6 hour trip. I will not go again unless they bring an ambulance." When he went to the hospital, the doctors took samples from his throat for tissue diagnosis, but test results were never shared with him. He remained in jail with other Palestinian prisoners, after a while, his health deteriorated without any medication such as painkillers. His voice disappeared, and his neck swelled with nodes and he became very weak. He could not change his clothes nor could he go to the toilet. Despite this, the Israeli Prison Authority left him in the cell. The prisoners demanded officially from the Prison Authorities to transfer Abuhamdia to hospital, but the Prison Authority said it was too late, and Abuhamdia had only days to live. A week before his death, the Israeli Authorities transferred him to Beir-Shiva Hospital. They did another Biopsy test and declared for the first time that he had Throat Cancer. He received only two Chemotherapy sessions and died on Tuesday, April 2nd at 6 am. An Autopsy was performed on his body, and Israel declared that cancer was spread throughout his body. Israel refused to release his medical records and the results of the medical tests.

After his death, the Palestinians became aggravated[10] as they were following his case months before through the Palestinian Prisoners Club and the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners. They were expecting that he might be released or receive timely and appropriate medical treatment. Subsequently, clashes erupted all over the West Bank resulting in the deaths of two Palestinian teenagers in the region Tulkarm, north of the West Bank.[11][12] Israel continues to hold his records. Israel claims that Abuhamdiya received proper treatment in contrast to a Palestinian autopsy test which rebuts this claim.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Podcast: Linah Alsaafin on Maysara Abuhamdia, the latest victim of Israel’s medical neglect of prisoners". Electronicintifada.net. 16 Oct 2015.
  2. ↑ http://www.palestinechronicle.com/obituary-maysara-abu-hamdiyeh-1949-2013/#.VFcbaGcU_IU
  3. ↑ http://www.palestinechronicle.com/obituary-maysara-abu-hamdiyeh-1949-2013/#.VFcbaGcU_IU
  4. ↑ "وفاة الأسير الفلسطيني ميسرة أبو حمدية في السجون الإسرائيلية" (in Arabic). RT (TV network). Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Israeli Military Order; Brown 2003, p. 47
  6. ↑ "وفاة الأسير الفلسطيني ميسرة أبو حمدية في السجون الإسرائيلية". RT (TV network). Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  7. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/apr/02/palestinian-prisoners-israel-hunger-strike
  8. ↑ http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/04/palestinians-protest-abu-hamdiyeh-s-death-with-strikes-and-demonstrations.html
  9. ↑ "Over 200 Palestinians have died in Israeli gulags". displacedpalestinians.wordpress.com. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "Protests as Palestinian death-toll mounts". www.jfjfp.com. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Hebron clashes follow Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh funeral". BBC Online. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  13. ↑ Template:Cite news title=Minister: the autopsy shows Israel neglected prisoner

14. ^ "Muhammad bukat protested as Palestine. www.jfjfp.com retrieved 30 November 2014

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