Systematic abuse in Israeli prisons claims yet another Palestinian life

According to Quds News Network, a 26-year-old Palestinian detainee, arrested months ago in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces, has died in Israeli custody amid reports of torture and medical negligence, marking the second Palestinian death in Israeli prisons in less than a week.

The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) confirmed on Sunday that 26-year-old Sakher Zaoul from Bethlehem died in Israeli custody after being held in administrative detention since July 11, 2025.

On December 10, the two groups confirmed that another youth from Bethlehem also died in Israeli prisons, a week after announcing the death of three detainees abducted from Gaza during the genocide.

The deaths bring the total number of known Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023, to 86, including 50 from Gaza, the groups added.

The noted that the period since October 2023 has seen an "unprecedented" rise in the "systematic crimes practiced in [Israeli] prisons," making it the "bloodiest in the history of the prisoner movement since 1967".

This brings the total number of Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since 1967 to 323. However, they noted that the true figure is likely higher, as dozens of detainees abducted from Gaza are subjected to enforced disappearance.

This week, Israeli Walla reported that Israel has already murdered 110 Palestinian hostages and detainees under torture inside Israeli detention centers. Walla described the figure as a record high compared with previous decades.

The report follows last week’s findings by Israel's Public Defender’s Office, which documented a sharp decline in the health of Palestinian hostages due to harsh incarceration conditions, including severe hunger, overcrowding, poor sanitation, and systematic abuse.

According to several Palestinian prisoner-monitoring groups, these conditions have persisted even after the Gaza ceasefire was signed last month.

There are currently more than 10,800 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, including 450 children, 87 women, and 3,629 held without charge or trial.

The organisations said Palestinian prisoners continue to die in detention due to torture, starvation, medical neglect, sexual assault, and systematic violations of human rights.

Testimonies confirm regular beatings by Israeli guards, extreme overcrowding, humiliation, and inadequate hygiene.