Palestinian prisoner beaten to death

The Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Minister of Prisoners Affairs, Issa Qaraqi, holds Israel responsible for the death of Raed Abu Hammad, 27, who was in an Israeli jail for 18 months.

Hammad was reportedly beaten by Israeli prison guards to death. He was found dead in his solitary confinement cell. Qaraqi said on Thursday that the cause of death was from “a blow to the lower spinal cord with a direct hit.”

The minister added that based on reports he had received, the detainee had been kicked strongly in the lower back.

The PA will, in the beginning of next week, request from the Magistrate court in Beer Sheva, to investigate the cause of death based on available reports.

Israeli authorities have dismissed the allegations as unfounded and declined to give any details. More than 7,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli jails.