Marwan Barghouti brutally assaulted in Israeli prison, family told

Prominent Palestinian political prisoner Marwan Barghouti has been “brutally” assaulted by Israeli prison guards, according to information relayed to his family.

The account passed to them claimed that part of Barghouti’s ear had been cut off, and that his ribs, fingers and teeth were broken during repeated rounds of beatings.

Arab Barghouti, Marwan's son, told Middle East Eye that the family learnt of the assault through a phone call from a man who identified himself as a recently released Palestinian prisoner. 

He said his father’s condition was described as “extremely difficult and very dangerous”.

The Palestinian Authority’s Commission of Detainees’ Affairs said it had gathered information that appeared to corroborate the report of a recent attack.

A source close to Marwan Barghouti and his family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told MEE that the Fatah leader has been beaten by Israeli prison authorities at least five times in the past two years.

“Barghouti is being subjected to a slow, gradual assassination attempt,” the source said.

The attacks come amid growing threats against Barghouti from senior Israeli officials. 

In August, Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, was filmed visiting Barghouti in his cell and warning that Israel would “obliterate” anyone who opposed it. 

'Barghouti is being subjected to a slow, gradual assassination attempt'

- Palestinian source 

It was the first time Barghouti had been seen publicly in years; he appeared aged and gaunt, wearing only a white undershirt.

Following the latest reported assault, the source said the family had been left in complete shock and desperation.

“They don’t know what to do or whom to speak to,” the source added.

Barghouti, a senior figure in Fatah, has been imprisoned since 2004. 

He was targeted by Israel for his leading role in the 2000–2005 Second Intifada and his enduring popularity among Palestinians. 

He is serving five life sentences plus 40 years after being convicted over attacks that killed five Israelis. Barghouti refused to mount a defence during his trial, saying he did not recognise the court’s legitimacy.

Opinion polls have consistently suggested that Barghouti would win the Palestinian presidency by a wide margin were elections to be held and he were permitted to run. 

He is widely viewed as one of the few remaining unifying Palestinian leaders, despite Fatah’s deep association with the unpopular Palestinian Authority.

The 66-year-old has long been held in solitary confinement, and has faced intensified assaults alongside other prominent Palestinian detainees since October 2023.

Barghouti 'left to face fate alone'

In January, MEE reported that Egypt, Qatar and Hamas were using “all means available” to secure Barghouti’s release as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal. 

However, Israel later removed his name from the list of prisoners exchanged in October.

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MEE previously reported that some senior PA officials also pushed to exclude him, fearing his release would threaten the position of President Mahmoud Abbas.

The source who spoke to MEE about Barghouti’s condition said the PA and Fatah had done nothing to intervene.

“Sometimes it feels like more than neglect,” the source said. “It is painful and infuriating, and it raises many questions.

“How can a member of Fatah’s central committee be left to face his fate alone?” 

After the genocide in Gaza began in October 2023, Israel launched a sweeping arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank, detaining thousands. 

At least 9,250 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, though the real figure is likely higher as Israel withholds information on hundreds seized from Gaza.

Nearly half of all Palestinian detainees are held without charge or trial, under indefinitely renewable administrative detention orders.

Reports of systemic abuse and torture in Israeli custody have surged to record levels since the war began. At least 100 prisoner deaths under these conditions have been documented.