Palestinian inmate with cancer loses ability to speak

RAMALLAH

A Palestinian prisoner who is suffering from cancer has lost the ability to speak and is communicating with his fellow inmates through writing, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-detainees' Affairs said Sunday.

Kamal Abu Waer was diagnosed last year with a cancerous tumor in his throat and has been suffering since then from medical negligence.

His health has worsened recently and he is suffering from severe pain in his head and neck in addition to general fatigue and has lost weight.

The statement added that Abu Waer was transferred three weeks ago to Assaf Harofeh Medical Center near Tel Aviv and had surgery on his larynx to insert a tube to his stomach to deliver liquid food.

It is in addition to another tube that was surgically inserted into his neck two months ago to help him breathe.

He was also the first Palestinian security prisoner in Israel with a confirmed case of COVID-19, testing positive for the virus in July and quarantined for 14 days.

The statement said Abu Waer, who is being detained at Gilboa Prison, is expected to undergo treatment sessions for six months.

Abu Waer, 46, from the village of Qabatiah near Jenin in the northern West Bank, was arrested and put behind bars in 2003. He is serving six life sentences plus 50 years for taking part in the Second Intifada.