Palestinian prisoners’ media office recounts Khaled Shabaneh’s suffering: 26 years in captivity, longing for his mother
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office stated on Tuesday that prisoner Khaled Abdul Rahman Ibrahim Shabaneh (47 years old) has spent 26 years in Israeli prisons, deeply longing for his mother.
In a statement seen by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), the office explained that the loss of a mother represents the deepest wound in the lives of prisoners, noting that the interruption of family visits and news, in addition to the practice of solitary confinement within Israeli prisons, exacerbates the prisoners’ suffering.
The statement added that Khaled Shabaneh was born in 1978 and hails from the village of Sinjil in the Ramallah district. He is one of 17 prisoners from the Ramallah governorate serving life sentences and is a member of Force 17 – the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.
The office explained that Shabaneh was arrested on December 29, 2000, after a long manhunt, and subjected to a harsh 70-day interrogation at the Russian Compound (al-Maskubiya). His initial 39-year sentence was overturned and replaced with a life sentence for his alleged involvement in the first shooting attack during the Second Intifada in 2000, targeting a settler bus near the “Ein Haramiya” area.
The office added that the Palestinian prisoner was subjected to intermittent solitary confinement and lost his comrades. His brother, Mahmoud Shabaneh, was killed. He participated in the Dignity Strike and was subsequently hospitalized.
The office confirmed that Shabaneh is currently being held in the Israeli prison of Ramon, where he has received only two visits from his lawyer since the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023. He has lost approximately 16 kg due to starvation, and is suffering from severe shortages of food, clothing, and hygiene products, in addition to reduced exercise time and exposure to extreme cold.
The office stated that Shabaneh’s name was included in the “Freedom Flood” prisoner exchange deal but was excluded at the last minute.
It added that Shabaneh’s only wish is to see his mother’s health restored, noting that he had completed high school, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, and begun his master’s studies before they were interrupted by the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.