It has been learned that Mervan Bergusi, a member of the Central Committee of the Fatah Movement who has been held in an Israeli prison for nearly a quarter of a century, was injured in the leg with a rubber bullet as a result of the fire opened by an Israeli guard in his cell.
Bergusi's wife, lawyer Fedva Bergusi, stated in her statement to the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office that they were aware of the attack on her husband during their last prison visit.
Stating that an Israeli guard fired a rubber bullet into the leg of Bergusi, who was kept in the cell, from zero distance, his wife stated that the attack caused injury and bleeding in the leg.
No information was given regarding exactly when the attack took place.
"The attack is part of a systematic policy targeting all Palestinian prisoners."
The Palestinian Prisoners Media Office and the Palestinian Prisoners Association condemned the attack on Bergusi in their statement.
In the statement made by the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office, it was stated that the attack on Bergusi with a rubber bullet in his cell was part of a systematic policy targeting all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
The statement emphasized that this situation is a continuation of the policies of oppression, torture, starvation, isolation and medical neglect in Israeli prisons.
The Office stated that these practices are a serious violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions; The International Committee of the Red Cross called on the United Nations (UN) and human rights organizations to intervene urgently to provide protection to Palestinian prisoners, to put pressure on Israel and to hold those responsible accountable.
"The aim is to liquidate Palestinian leaders"
President of the Palestinian Prisoners Association, Abdullah Zegari, condemned the attack and warned that the assassination attempts against Bergusi, who was shot with a rubber bullet in his cell, had reached an extremely dangerous stage.
Zegari underlined that since the beginning of the attacks on Gaza, an organized campaign of torture, ill-treatment, isolation and systematic attacks has been carried out in Israeli prisons aimed at liquidating Bergusi and other Palestinian leaders.
Bergusi has been held in solitary confinement since 2023
According to the statement made by Bergusi's office, the Palestinian leader has been held in a solitary cell in Ganot Prison since November 2023.
In the statement, it was stated that the Israeli Prisons Administration had recently aggravated the isolation conditions and frequently transferred Bergusi between isolation sections in different prisons, and that this was part of the "systematic arbitrary practices" against him.
According to reports by Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, within the scope of aggravated isolation practices, detainees are separated from other prisoners, frequently transferred to different prisons, their meetings with their lawyers and families are restricted, and their access to health services and basic needs is limited.
Israeli minister Ben-Gvir threatened Bergusi with death
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered Bergusi's cell on February 18 and threatened him with death, and images of the incident were published in the Israeli press.
With Israel's attacks on Gaza, violations against Palestinian detainees also increased.
According to data from Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, there are more than 9,600 Palestinian prisoners, including children and women, as well as 3,532 administrative detainees in Israeli prisons.
The same reports state that detainees were subjected to torture, starvation and medical neglect, and that dozens of them died in prison.