Martyrdom of 22-year-old Palestinian prisoner in Israeli custody

Official Palestinian sources announced on Tuesday night that Ahmad Hatem Muhammad Khudairat, a 22-year-old from the town of al-Dhahiriya in southern Hebron, was martyred at Israel’s Soroka Hospital. The Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority informed the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Prisoners’ Club of his death.

According to Palestinian sources, Khudairat had been held under administrative detention in Israel’s Negev prison since May 23, 2024. He suffered from chronic diabetes and scabies. The Prisoners’ Club had previously warned about his severely deteriorating health condition; his weight had dropped to 40 kilograms in recent reports.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club emphasized that Khudairat’s case is only one example among thousands of sick Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, where the spread of diseases has become a central issue—especially given the deliberate policies of the prison administration, which aim at the slow killing of prisoners.

Administrative detention in Israel is carried out without formal charges, based on alleged “security threats,” and can be renewed every six months. In such cases, classified evidence is presented to the court, but neither the detainee nor their lawyer is allowed access to it.

According to a joint report by Palestinian detainee organizations, since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023, 77 Palestinian prisoners have been martyred, 46 of whom were from Gaza. Dozens of others have been victims of field executions.