Palestinian Prisoner and Cancer Patient Dies in Israeli Custody

Facts

• On Tuesday, Nasser Abu Hamid, a senior Palestinian fighter sentenced to life in jail by Israel, died of cancer — prompting outrage and mourning among Palestinians.
• Abu Hamid is a former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, which is the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party. He was sentenced to seven life sentences in 2002 for participating in the deaths of seven Israelis in the second Intifada.
• Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets and stores closed across the West Bank to protest Abu Hamid's death. Palestinian groups have called for a general strike and confrontations with Israeli forces.
• Abu Hamid was diagnosed with an advanced stage of lung cancer in Aug. 2021. Palestinian rights groups, as well as Mahmoud Abbas, have claimed that Israeli authorities neglected his condition and did not give sufficient treatment.
• Abu Hamid was mentioned by Abbas in his speech to the UN General Assembly in September, saying that Palestinians were telling "the heroic prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid and his companions that dawn is coming, and it is time for their chains to be broken."
• This year has been one of the deadliest years in the conflict since the second Intifada. A negotiated settlement appears to be increasingly unlikely.

Sources: Reuters, FOX News, Associated Press, and Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Pro-Palestine, as provided by Middle East Eye. Israeli authorities purposefully neglected Abu Hamid due to his involvement in resistance to Israel's violent occupation. Abu Hamid is yet another martyr to die at Israel's hands because of their cruelty. Israel's systematic and deliberate killing of Palestinian prisoners is well-known, and the international community must intervene to prevent Israel from continuing these abuses.
• Pro-Israel, as provided by Times of Israel. Abu Hamid was a mass murdering terrorist, plain and simple, yet Israel still provided him a level of decency. He was involved in the murder of multiple Israelis, as well as Palestinians. Accusations that Israel neglected Abu Hamid are also preposterous, as the relevant officials went out of their way to provide him with care.