Al Qassam website- Al Khalil- The number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails suffering from chronic diseases has reached 160 out of 500 sick prisoners and the number is on the rise, the Palestinian prisoner’s association said.

The association said in a statement on Saturday that the 160 prisoners are either plagued with cancer, diabetes, or hypertension, adding that they need special treatment.

It said that the policy of medical neglect was worsening those prisoners’ condition, championing a Palestinian official policy of “no return to negotiations (with Israel) until all prisoners are freed”.

The association urged the world community and human rights groups to send fact-finding committees to probe the condition of those prisoners, warning that the case of Zakaria Issa, who was released after his condition reached a desperate stage and died a few months later, could recur.