Palestinian journalist says prison starvation, medical neglect led to brain hemorrhage after release from Israeli prison
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Palestinian journalist Mujahid Bani Mufleh is still undergoing intensive treatment six months after his release from Israeli prison, where he says he lost nearly 20 kilograms due to starvation and medical neglect before suffering a severe brain hemorrhage days after being freed, Anadolu reports.
Bani Mufleh is currently being treated at Ibn Sina Specialized Hospital in Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank. After falling into a coma, he underwent multiple surgeries, including a procedure in which part of his skull was removed. He now requires assistance with movement, swallowing and speech.
The journalist said prison conditions, including starvation and lack of medical care, severely worsened his health, particularly as he suffers from diabetes.
Speaking to Anadolu from his hospital bed, he recalled how his condition deteriorated during detention.
“I entered prison weighing 72 kilograms, and when I came out, my weight was in the early 50s,” he said.
“I lost a large part of it because of hunger. We slept hungry, and the food they gave us was not enough,” he added.
He said his condition worsened further due to lack of access to diabetes treatment.
“Since the beginning of my detention, I did not receive the proper medication, I did not undergo any medical test, and I did not know my blood sugar level. The food was very little,” he said.
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body either does not produce enough insulin or cannot use it effectively, leading to elevated blood glucose levels that can damage organs over time if untreated.
Israel arrested Bani Mufleh in the town of Beita, south of Nablus, in June 2025 and released him in January 2026, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.
Released into collapse
Bani Mufleh said his release came unexpectedly after his detention had been extended. He said prison authorities informed him he would be transferred, and he was not given a chance to say goodbye to other detainees.
“I was surprised that they released me. I did not even know I was going to get out,” he said.
“They took me out at midnight, and four hours later I found myself in the open, in the bitter cold of the Negev desert. I was shaking badly,” he added.
He said his health deteriorated rapidly after release. Medical tests later showed high blood sugar and blood pressure levels.
“I was doing an interview with a fellow journalist, speaking about what I had lived through in prison, and it seems that recalling those details was more than my body could bear, so I lost consciousness,” he said.
He was taken to a hospital in Nablus, where doctors diagnosed a severe brain hemorrhage. He later fell into a coma and underwent successive surgeries.
Life after detention
After regaining consciousness, Bani Mufleh said his life had changed completely and he is now unable to perform basic daily tasks.
“I was a person full of life. I worked for long hours. Today, I am almost unable to do the simplest tasks,” he said.
“I need others to help me move and get around. I lost the ability to speak and swallow, and I am still going through a long treatment journey,” he added.
He said his condition has also affected his relationship with his three children.
“I used to spend a lot of time at home beside them, teaching them and providing everything they needed. Today, I can no longer do that,” he said.
“I miss their laughter, and I hope to return to the father I used to be,” he added.
READ: Press freedom group ‘changes’ definition of journalist as Israel sets record for reporters killed
‘A photo that shows the truth’
Bani Mufleh said a Facebook post showing his post-surgery condition was intended to document his experience after detention.
The image shows part of his skull removed following brain surgery, with visible signs of severe weight loss.
“I wanted to show people the truth,” he said.
“Many friends objected to publishing the photo because they said it was not beautiful, but I have nothing to fear. Here I am today, and this is my condition,” he added.
He said he continues to think about his life before imprisonment, including his work in journalism and farming.
“I miss the old Mujahid,” he said, adding that he had cultivated land with dozens of trees before his arrest.
“My wife and children are always around me, and they hope I will return to the way I was,” he said.
Thousands of cases
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said last week that Israeli prisons have become a tool of “slow and direct killing” against Palestinian detainees.
It said Bani Mufleh’s case reflects wider conditions faced by thousands of Palestinians, including starvation, medical neglect and other violations in custody.
The group said more than 245 Palestinian journalists have been detained by Israel since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
It added that Israeli forces have carried out near-daily raids across the occupied West Bank since October 2023, resulting in widespread arrests and searches.
According to Palestinian figures, Israel has arrested about 23,000 Palestinians from the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, including women, children and former prisoners.
READ: Hamas delegation in Cairo to meet Egyptian officials, mediators on implementation of Gaza deal
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- 2 Palestinians killed, 19 injured in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza despite ceasefire
- Turkish president says Israeli slanders attempt to cover up Gaza genocide
- Israel faced ‘unprecedented, sustained’ bombardment during Iran war, official says
- Israel’s Ben-Gvir storms Palestinian town in occupied East Jerusalem
- Iran says ‘no need’ for outside help in Hormuz mine clearance
- Board of Peace says first ‘tactical vehicles’ arrive at multinational force base in Gaza
- Seven coffins and the silence of the Shams
- UNRWA chief calls for urgent funding, reform as agency faces $100 million deficit
- Iran urges nuclear watchdog chief to stop ‘political statements,’ focus on his duties
- Iraqi prime minister says ‘no evidence’ attacks on Gulf states originated from Iraq
- Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund net profit more than doubles to $17.3B in 2025
- Palestine slams Israeli plan to establish 100 illegal settlement sites in occupied West Bank
- US Treasury chief says only China buying Iranian oil as others wary of sanctions risk
- Palestinian journalist says prison starvation, medical neglect led to brain hemorrhage after release from Israeli prison
- Israeli forces raid, shut down UNRWA-run training center north of Jerusalem
- Hamas delegation in Cairo to meet Egyptian officials, mediators on implementation of Gaza deal
- Commercial ship traffic through Strait of Hormuz rises more than 50% over past week
- Iran says officials to meet Qatari mediators in Doha on US deal implementation
- Israeli opposition slams Netanyahu over silence after ultra-Orthodox leaders brand army ‘teacher of gravest sins’
- Lebanese president, army chief discuss troops’ role after framework agreement with Israel
- Israeli army closes charity headquarters in occupied West Bank city of Nablus
- Several arrested after Moroccan fans’ World Cup celebrations in Dutch cities
- Israeli rabbi urges army to stay in Lebanon, claims Lebanese territory belongs to Israel
- Qatari, Iranian defense officials discuss regional security developments
- Israeli soldier found dead as military investigates death amid concerns over rising suicides
- Katz: US-Iran linkage prevented Hezbollah’s collapse, Israel will not withdraw before its disarmament
- Turkey condemns Israeli strikes in southern Syria, urges international action
- US official held meetings with Hamas as Washington presents Gaza demands to Israel
- Gaza security force says it foiled major drug smuggling attempt linked to Israel-affiliated gangs
- Israeli minister proposes Gaza relocation plan involving Mossad
- Fresh Israeli strikes kill 8 in Gaza despite ceasefire
- ‘Time for condemning is over’: Palestine’s UN envoy demands end to Israeli annexation of Palestinian land
- America’s Gulf bases are turning allies into targets
- The Keys to my House: A Gaza Diary
- Pepe, Pakistan, and the last of the great foreign correspondents
- Qatar suspends non-commercial maritime activities as security precaution
- Robotics, energy, and geopolitics: How China is reshaping the global energy landscape
- 65 Palestinian students arrested by Israel in occupied West Bank this year: Rights group
- West Bank child deaths reflect ‘broader Israeli policy’ of killings ‘with virtually no accountability’: B’Tselem
- Trump’s Gaza board accused of creating legal black hole to protect officials and contractors
- EU reiterates position on Jerusalem after Slovenian premier’s remarks on embassy relocation
- Not in our names
- Israeli army kills 3 Palestinians, expands areas under occupation in central Gaza
- Trump says US-Iran meeting scheduled for Tuesday in Doha
- Iran says $6B of its funds in Qatar ‘should be released’ under US deal
- Iraq sets Sept. 21 deadline for armed factions to surrender weapons
- Iran says ‘no technical talks’ with US this week in Doha
- Inside Indonesia’s growing market for fake Middle Eastern doctorates
- Press freedom group ‘changes’ definition of journalist as Israel sets record for reporters killed
- The Next Energy War Will Be Over Rules, Not Resources
