Raed Drabiyeh, 37, from Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza, was sentenced to life and has served 14 years of his term, the Detainees' Studies Center said. Drabiyeh's parents, whose son was diagnosed with cancer in 2005, said he has undergone six spinal surgeries and is now in a wheelchair. The center described Drabiyeh's case as serious and critical.
The center called for Drabiyeh's immediate release on medical grounds "before he dies in an Israeli prison hospital," where, they say, he will not receive adequate treatment. His parents further asked to be afforded their right to prison visits "so we can see our son at least for one last time." As Gaza residents, the Israeli Prison Service has prohibited them from family visitation rights.
Ra'fat Hamoudnah, the center's director, further called for immediate intervention into the cases of detainees in poor health in Israeli custody, "where they will never be provided with the needed treatment."
