RAMALLAH, Friday, February 19, 2021 – The Israeli occupation authorities today decided to release the body of a Palestinian who died in custody in last September.
The General Authority for Civil Affairs announced that the body of Daoud al-Khatib will be handed over in Bethlehem city Friday evening more than five months following his death in Israeli custody.
Al-Khatib, 45, died of a heart attack in the notorious Israeli detention facility of Ofer, west of Ramallah, on September 2, only a few months before the end of his 18-year sentence.
He was due to be released on December 4, 2020, after being sentenced to 18 years in prison for his alleged involvement in anti-occupation activities as a member of Fatah movement.
According to the Palestine Prisoner’s Society (PPS), Khatib had a heart attack in 2017 in Israeli custody and underwent an open-heart surgery shortly thereafter, but the dismal health conditions in prison combined with medical negligence by the Israel Prison Services have contributed to the deterioration of his health until his death.
An autopsy carried out to the body of al-Khatib revealed that he died of a severe heart failure resulting from cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease.
Source: WAFA
