Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Qassam Barghouti said on Friday that Israeli forces broke his father Marwan Barghouti’s teeth and ribs, cut part of his ear, and broke his fingers “in stages, for fun.” Qassam said he woke up to the call by a freed detainee and felt shocked, terrified, and helpless as he heard the details.
He wrote on Facebook: “What do I do? Who do I speak to? Where do we go? We live with this nightmare every day. My father is 66. Where can he find the strength to survive this?”
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club warned of a “dangerous plan” to assassinate Marwan Barghouti inside Israeli prisons. Israel detained him in 2002 and sentenced him to five life terms. He remains one of the most influential and popular Palestinian leaders.
Amjad al-Najjar, the director of the Prisoners’ Club, said the violent escalation against Barghouti comes as international voices rise to demand his release. He said this pattern shows that the Israeli government wants “to get rid of him while he is in custody,” which he described as a serious crime and a violation of international humanitarian law.
The fear grows after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stormed Barghouti’s cell in February. Hebrew media published video of him threatening to kill the detained leader.
In October, US President Donald Trump said he would decide whether to push for Barghouti’s release, but he has not announced anything yet.
Many Palestinians and international figures see Barghouti as a leader who could unite the Palestinian public and restart efforts toward a two-state solution, an idea rejected by Israel.
Israel released thousands of detainees and hostages in exchange deals, including during the ceasefire that began on October 10. But it continues to refuse the release of Barghouti and other high-profile detainees.
The torture of Palestinian detainees and hostages escalated during Israel’s two-year genocide in Gaza. The genocide killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000, most of them women and children.
More than 10,000 Palestinian hostages remain in Israeli jails. Children and women are among them. Rights groups say they face torture, starvation, and medical neglect that already killed dozens.
