(MENAFN) A Palestinian rights organization has raised alarms over a “dangerous plan” reportedly aimed at assassinating imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, citing escalating assaults and mounting international calls for his release.

Barghouti, a senior member of Fatah’s Central Committee and a prominent figure in Palestinian politics, has been in Israeli custody since 2002, serving five life sentences following convictions for murder and attempted murder. He remains widely respected among Palestinians.

“The escalation of assaults against the leader Marwan Barghouti, coinciding with international movements and figures calling for his immediate release, reflects dangerous intentions within the occupation government to get rid of him while in detention, in a compounded crime and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law,” said the organization’s director general. He urged the UN and other international bodies to “intervene urgently,” sending “a UN committee to visit leader Barghouti, examine his conditions in solitary confinement, and exert real pressure to secure his release and save his life before it is too late.”

Family members have also reported violent attacks. Barghouti’s son posted on social media that a former prisoner claimed Israeli forces “crushed his father’s body, broke his teeth, ribs, and fingers, and cut part of his ear inside prison.” Efforts to confirm the report were unsuccessful. “We contacted all official and legal bodies we could to help us obtain any information, but until this moment, we have been unable to do so,” he wrote.

The Palestinian Presidency condemned what it described as “ongoing assaults and dangerous retaliatory measures” against Barghouti, holding Israel fully responsible for his safety and that of all prisoners in its custody. It called on the international community, human rights organizations, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to “act immediately and urgently” to pressure Israel to halt violations.

Barghouti has previously faced direct threats. In February, a far-right Israeli official reportedly stormed his cell and issued death threats, according to media reports at the time. Analysts often describe him as a unifying figure capable of rallying Palestinians around a “two-state solution,” particularly amid ongoing tensions following Israeli attacks in Gaza. Israel’s current government continues to oppose the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 Palestinians remain imprisoned in Israeli jails, including women and children, reportedly enduring “torture, starvation, and medical neglect” — conditions that have resulted in deaths, according to human rights reports.

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