Human rights organisations have warned that systematic torture, starvation, and medical neglect in Israeli prisons continue to put thousands of detainees at risk [Getty]
Four Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons have died, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society announced on Monday, noting that the latest deaths were reported less than 24 hours after detainee Ashraf Abu Warda died in Israeli custody.
The slain detainees were identified as Mohammed Rashid Aka, 44, Samir Mahmoud Al-Kahlout, 52, Zuhair Omar Al-Sharif, 58, and Mohammed Anwar Labad, 57, according to a joint statement by the two Palestinian detainees rights groups.
The organisations reported that information about the deaths of the detainees was relayed through official Israeli channels or intermediaries like HaMoked.
They highlighted restrictive Israeli legal measures limiting transparency about Gaza detainees and expressed grave concern over the increasing deaths of Palestinian prisoners.
They said the latest deaths were a “humanitarian catastrophe” and accused Israeli authorities of systematically targeting Palestinian detainees – the majority of which are held with no charges – with abuse and inhuman treatment.
The slain detainees
Aka was arrested on 15 November 2023 while fleeing southern Gaza with his family, according to The New Arab‘s Arabic language edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. He died in the Negev Prison on Sunday.
Al-Kahlout was arrested on 25 October 2024 from Kamal Adwan Hospital where he was recovering from a liver and kidney surgery. He reportedly succumbed to poor medical conditions in prison a week later. He was a father of three.
Al-Sharif was detained on 7 October 2023 when he was working in 1948-occupied territories. He reportedly died on 18 October 2023.
Labad, who was arrested on 18 November 2024, was detained while fleeing northern Gaza with his family. He reportedly died on 27 November. He had suffered from liver fibrosis and diabetes before his detention.
Meanwhile, Abu Warda, 51, was arrested by Israeli forces while fleeing from Jabalia to southern Gaza on 20 November 2023. He was a father to four children. He died after he was transferred to Soroka Medical Centre from Al-Naqab prison on 27 December 2024.
The Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society accused Israeli authorities of deliberately obstructing and confusing families on the wellbeing of prisoners, citing initial conflicting reports that some of the slain prisoners had been released.
The latest announcement brings the total number of Palestinian detainees who died while in Israeli custody since Israel began its war on the besieged Gaz Strip to 54.
Since 1967, at least 291 Palestinians have died while held in Israeli detention centres, according to the Palestinian prisoner rights groups.
Human rights organisations have warned that systematic torture, starvation, and medical neglect in Israeli prisons continue to put thousands of detainees at risk.
The Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes against Palestinian detainees, calling for sanctions on Tel Aviv.
Over 10,300 prisoners remain in Israeli custody, including 89 women, at least 345 children, and 3,428 administrative detainees, with hundreds of detainees from Gaza subject to forced disappearance in Israeli military camps and detention centres.
