Bethlehem – Ma'an – The mother of Palestinian prisoner Rizq Salah from the southern West Bank town of Al-Khadr near Bethlehem died on Saturday.

Maryam Salah, 77, passed away on Saturday whilst her son continues to serve a life sentence in an Israeli jail.

The director of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society in Bethlehem Abdullah Zghari said, "The staff of the prisoners' society and families of prisoners as a whole felt sorry over the death of Maryam Salah who spent the last 17 years of her life suffering at Israeli military checkpoints, and prison gates while visiting her son."

He highlighted that Maryam suffered from a brain clot a year ago, and remained bedridden. However, on 23rd of February 2009, she insisted on visiting Rizq at Beer Sheva prison in an ambulance – her final visit to her son.