Said Musallam, who suffers from heart disease, is the first prisoner participating in the ongoing mass hunger strike to be transferred to a hospital.
By ADAM RASGONFrench opposition MP Georges Fenech at Ofer Prison, September 15, 2016(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Said Musallam, who is one of more than a thousand Palestinian security prisoners partaking in a mass hunger strike, was transferred to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon on Wednesday night.“Musallam was transferred due to a medical situation that required care,” the Israel Prison Service said on Thursday, without elaborating on the specifics of his condition.Musallam, who suffers from heart disease, is the first prisoner participating in the mass hunger strike to be transferred to a hospital.1,100 Palestinian prisoners, led by Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who was convicted on five counts of murder, started an open-ended hunger strike on Monday, according to The Israel Prison Service. Palestinian Committee for Prisoner Affairs Chairman Issa Qaraqaa said 1,500 prisoners are participating in the hunger strike.Musallam, 44, has had a number of medical complications since starting his prison sentence, according to Karim Ajweh, Musallam’s lawyer.Ajweh told The Jerusalem Post that Musallam underwent two cardiac catheterizations in the last nine months and frequently experiences chest and hand pains. The Barzilai Medical Center did not respond to a request for comment.Musallam was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2002 for attempted murder.The ongoing mass hunger strike entered its fourth day on Thursday.