Israel: Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti wounded by a prison guard, according to his family

Imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti was wounded in the leg by a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli guard, his family announced Monday, a claim denied by the prison administration.

A member of Fatah, arrested by Israel in 2002, Marwan Barghouti, 67, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2004 by an Israeli court that found him guilty of involvement in four attacks that killed five people in Israel and the occupied West Bank.

"A prison guard shot Marwan in the leg with a rubber bullet, causing him to bleed and sustaining a painful injury," his wife, Fadwa Barghouti, wrote on Facebook. "This is the latest episode in the constant attacks he has been subjected to."

His son, Arab Barghouti, indicated that the incident occurred "last week" at Ganot prison in the Negev desert.

He stated that his family learned of the incident from his father's lawyer and that his father had not received any medical treatment.

In a letter addressed to the prison administration, which AFP was able to consult, Mr. Barghouti's lawyer, Avigdor Feldman, indicated that his client had complained, during their last interview, "of having been shot in the leg".

The Israeli prison administration has rejected these claims.

"The allegation described is false and completely unfounded," she said. "The Israeli prison administration operates in accordance with the law and under constant judicial supervision."

In 2025, Arab Barghouti claimed that Israeli prison guards had violently beaten his father during a transfer, breaking four of his ribs and causing head injuries.

In August, a video circulating on social media showed Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a figure of the far right, threatening a physically weakened Mr. Barghouti inside a prison.

On Sunday, the Arab League called for the creation of an international commission of inquiry into what it described as "repeated attacks" against him.

Sometimes nicknamed by his supporters the "Mandela of Palestine", Marwan Barghouti was one of the leaders of the Second Intifada, the Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s.

He is often cited as a possible successor to President Mahmoud Abbas.

Although imprisoned, he was re-elected to the Fatah Central Committee in 2026, receiving the most votes.