Prominent Palestinian Detainee Shot Nine Times

Hassan Salameh, a prominent Palestinian detainee, sustained nine gunshot wounds and severe beatings while in Israeli custody last month. His fiancée, Ghufran Zamel, and the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) confirmed the details on Monday after a lawyer visited the 55-year-old man in his cell. The exact type of ammunition used and the specific sequence of events remain unclear to the monitoring group.

The assault occurred following a visit by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to Salameh's cell in September. In a video posted online, Ben Gvir was seen surrounded by security guards, telling the prisoner that he wanted to execute him. The minister also stated that if he became defense minister, he would ensure prisoners like Salameh were put to death.

Zamel told local media that an Israeli force stormed the cell and subjected Salameh to a severe beating before firing the nine bullets. She reported that the strikes included blows to the face. Three days after the incident, Salameh was taken out to have his injuries photographed. He was then returned to his cell without medical treatment and given only painkillers.

A lawyer's visit on Monday confirmed that Salameh remained in poor health and appeared visibly exhausted. The PPS stated that Israeli restrictions on prison visits prevented the lawyer from gathering further details. The group said this lack of access raised serious concerns about the prisoner's fate and created an urgent need to disclose the circumstances of the incident.

The PPS described the attack as part of a campaign targeting prominent Palestinian prisoners that goes beyond repression and punishment. The group noted that prisoner leaders are facing physical and psychological torture, systematic crackdowns, and public threats from Ben Gvir. It added that continued policies and the lack of independent oversight pave the way for further violations.

Salameh was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza in 1971. He joined the Palestinian resistance after the First Intifada began in 1987 and became a leading figure in the al-Qassam Brigades. In 1996, Israel convicted him of orchestrating bombings that killed and wounded scores of Israelis. Salameh said the attacks were a response to the assassination of Hamas bombmaker Yahya Ayyash. He was sentenced to 48 life terms and has spent 14 years in solitary confinement during his 30 years in prison.

Reports of mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners have escalated since the Gaza war began in October 2023. Several rights groups have accused prison authorities of widespread torture, physical assaults, and medical neglect. Last month, Physicians for Human Rights Israel and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel gathered 21 testimonies documenting a dangerous practice of guards firing rubber-coated bullets at close range. One testimony described an incident where a prisoner's right testicle was completely crushed and had to be surgically removed.