Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti reportedly beaten unconscious by Israeli prison guards

Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti was beaten unconscious by Israeli prison guards, and his family fears for his life.

Arab Barghouti said his 66-year-old father, a leader of the Second Intifada and the Fatah movement, was attacked by eight guards on September 14 while being transferred between Ganot and Megiddo prisons.

Barghouti said he heard from five Palestinian detainees, who were released by Israeli authorities and deported to Egypt on Monday, about the treatment the Palestinian leader received upon his arrival at Megiddo prison.

The younger Barghouti said, “As far as we know, they stopped on the road while transferring my father, and eight security officers working for the prison authorities began to beat my father in various ways, kicking him, throwing him to the ground, and punching him, focusing on his head, chest, and legs,” adding that his father later told other detainees he lost consciousness as a result of the attack.

Arab relayed that the released detainees said he could barely walk for days after arriving at Megiddo.

Barghouti said this was the fourth time his father had been beaten in the last two years. The Palestinian leader has been held in solitary confinement since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation.

The Asra Media Office, which addresses the issues of Palestinian prisoners, said Barghouti “lost consciousness as a result of the beating and suffered four broken ribs.”

The alleged attack occurred after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Marwan Barghouti in prison in August.

Ben-Gvir, a member of a far-right party who has been convicted by Israeli courts of inciting racism and supporting a terrorist organization, had mocked Barghouti in a video clip released at the time.

According to Arab Barghouti, Ben-Gvir showed the 66-year-old prisoner a picture of an electric chair, telling him he deserved to be executed.

In a statement published in the Maariv newspaper on Wednesday, Ben-Gvir denied the allegations of the attack but said, “I am proud that during my tenure, [Barghouti’s] situation has changed radically—the playtime is over, the summer camps are over.”

Ben-Gvir said, “The murderer Barghouti knows that terrorists like him are treated harshly today, so he is fabricating fake news to incite his despicable terrorist comrades who left him behind as part of the [ceasefire] deal,” adding that he gave his full support to the “fighters of the prison service,” whom he said were doing “holy work.”

Barghouti consistently ranks first in polls as the most popular leader among Palestinians. Convicted of planning attacks that led to the deaths of five civilians, Barghouti has been in prison for over 20 years and was sentenced to five life sentences plus 40 years.

Under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that took effect over the weekend, 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences were released, and most were deported to Egypt.

The Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, vetoed Barghouti’s inclusion on the list of prisoners to be released under the agreement.

Arab Barghouti said: “My father represents the voice of reason. He is the most popular leader among Palestinians, but he also has a political vision that is accepted by the international community and can contribute to the stability of the region. This vision is the two-state solution. He has been a vocal supporter of the two-state solution for over thirty years. The Israeli government’s insistence that he not be part of the deal is a clear declaration that they are not looking for a credible and legitimate Palestinian leader. They want us to remain divided.”