Palestinian woman dies from wounds inflicted during Israeli detention

According to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, Wafaa Jarrar, 50, died Monday morning in Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin from wounds acquired during her arrest by Israeli soldiers two months ago.

Former prisoner and wife of a prominent Hamas leader, Abdul Jabbar Jarrar was arrested on May 21 and placed in administrative detention—a process whereby incarceration without prosecution for a protracted length of time is allowed. She was released nine days later, although under administrative custody, and was comatose in the hospital until her death.

The Commission said: “Former prisoner Wafaa Jarrar, 50, from Jenin… died Monday morning in Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin as a result of a very serious injury she sustained during her arrest.”

Approached by AFP, the Israeli army said it was investigating the matter.

An advocacy group called the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club pointed out that Jarrar’s condition called for the amputation of her legs above the knees in an Afula, Israel hospital. The group’s attorney had asked that Israeli authorities give medical papers and return her amputated legs, but she had not gotten a response.

While in custody, Amani Sarahneh, a Prisoners’ Club spokesman, said, “Jarrar died and her story was buried with her, as we don’t know exactly how she was wounded”.

Citing the amputation of Jarrar’s legs as proof, the Commission and the Club both accused Israel of committing a “crime”. They claimed furthermore that one of her legs had been removed without permission from her family.

Tensions in the occupied West Bank have sharpened as Israel’s war with Hamas grew more intense in October. Based on official Palestinian data, an AFP count indicates that since October 7, Israeli troops and settlers in the West Bank have killed at least 604 Palestinians. Official Israeli statistics indicate that at least 17 Israelis—including soldiers—have been killed by Palestinian attacks during the same period.

Israel’s military said that its detention policies follow international law.

Since the war started, hundreds of Palestinians have been arrested in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel according to the United Nations human rights office last month. According to the study, many of the inmates were kept in secrecy and underwent perhaps torturous treatment.