Campaign to Release Israa Jaabis from Israeli Prison

Jerusalem, MINA – Social media activists, including ex-detainees, have launched an online campaign to demand the release of Palestinian female prisoner Israa Jaabis, who was arrested in October 2015 immediately after she suffered severe burns.

“It is outrageous and shameful that the issue of prisoner Jaabis and her need for medical intervention is not a priority for the government and human rights groups, especially since she urgently needs more than eight surgeries to be able to return to her normal life,” organizers of the campaign said as a quoted by Palinfo on Monday.

She is accused by the Israeli occupation authority of blowing her car up at a checkpoint, a charge she denies. Her burns, she affirms, are the result of an accidental explosion in the car following a technical fault.

She suffers from first and third-degree burns on 60 percent of her body and is dependent on a fellow prisoner to assist her with simple tasks.

Eight of her fingers were amputated after they had melted to stubs from the burns.

She cannot lift her hands up all the way because her underarm skin is stuck together.

Her right ear is almost nonexistent and in a constant state of inflammation, and her nose has a gaping hole on one side, so she breathes mostly through her mouth.

She also suffers from nervous breakdowns, shock and severe psychological crises.

Two years ago before the accident, Jaabis was working at a nursing home, volunteering her time at charities and schools, and dressing up as a clown to entertain the children at the Augusta Victoria hospital in east Jerusalem.

She has repeatedly complained to her lawyer that she does not receive proper medical treatment from the Israeli prison service. (R/R6/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)