Ramallah: The family of a Palestinian who was arrested and beaten by Israeli forces when a teenager, then left to die, is planning to sue Israel for his death.
The family of Omar Mohammad Hamid, who was laid to rest on Sunday, will sue the Israeli military for his death through Israeli and international courts.
In 2004, the Israeli military severely beat Omar over the head with guns and sticks after they arrested him in his home city of Bethlehem during a demonstration.
Omar, then only 19 and in the last year of high school, was accused of throwing stones and was sentenced by an Israeli military court to six months imprisonment. Three months later, Omar’s family was shocked to receive a call from the Israeli Prison Services instructing Omar’s father to collect his ailing son.
In an interview with Gulf News, Jalil Humaid, Omar’s cousin, said it was rare to see the Israeli military releasing a prisoner before the end of his term. “We grew suspicious about the incident, and our suspicions were fuelled by the head pain Omar suffered,” he said.
“Omar was examined by many West Bank physicians and later travelled to Jordan and the UAE for medical tests,” Jalil said.
“All the medical reports that we obtained from the physicians and specialists claimed that the Israeli military who attacked Omar on the head with metal items was responsible for his ailments,” he said.
“Omar spent all the time after he was released from the Israeli prison in hospital and never returned home,” the cousin said, adding that during his hospital residence, Omar lost 50 kilograms of weight. The family claims he was only 30 kilograms when he was buried.
Omar, who has three brothers and four sisters, was buried in his home town of Taqoue where he was officially declared a Palestinian martyr.
“During Omar’s last two years, he lost all concentration and his mind was totally distracted. Family members accompanying him in hospital were unable to understand his words,” he said.
Omar’s father has spent a large amount on the treatment of his son. “In the beginning the Palestinian institutions including the Prisoner Club and the Ministry of Detainees’ Affairs covered some of the expenses, but after a short while when those institutions determined Omar’s case was hopeless, that assistance ended,” he said. “The Humaid family has taken all the expenses on its own.”
Jalil said that the Humaid family had hundreds of medical reports from several countries around the world including some reports from Israeli physicians who examined Omar in the prison before he was released. The family plans to sue the Israeli military for Omar’s death. “We will never give up Omar’s rights and life,” he said. “The Israeli military have purposely murdered Omar and put him through eight years of suffering which no human would survive.”
