Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jail dies after COVID-19 shot

A Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail died after receiving the coronavirus vaccine, according to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees' and ex-Detainees' Affairs.

The Israel Prisons Service announced late Wednesday the death of Maher Deeb Saasa, 45, from Qalqilah, in the northern West Bank, who suffered from several chronic diseases. According to an official statement, the cause of death is unknown. Israeli authorities told his family that an autopsy would be performed Thursday.

The family said Saasa, a father of six, was exposed to medical negligence during his more than 15-year detention.

"We prepared a detailed report about the health situation for the detainees in Israeli jails, and we will send it via Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the human rights organizations to make an effort to protect the Palestinian inmates," said Qadri Abu-Baker, head of the detainee commission.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said delegates are still visiting jails and facilitating the transmission of messages between detainees and families since visits were stopped at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

It said it has visited more than 95% of jails and detention centers, the ICRC spokesperson in Palestine, Yahya Maswadeh, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

"We are in intensive contact with the Israeli jails services about the plan for vaccination of Palestinian inmates, and we give our recommendations for giving priority for vulnerable groups inside the jails," Maswadeh added.

The Israeli government decided to start vaccinating prisoners in different jails but risks remain and the numbers of infected detainees have been increasing recently, Abu-Baker told AA.