Palestinian dies in Israeli prison under torture: Rights groups

RAMALLAH, Palestine

A Palestinian man died in an Israeli interrogation center Wednesday.

The death of Mohammed Walid Hussein Ali was due to torture, according to a joint statement by the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

The statement said the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority, which serves as the official liaison with Israel, informed them of the death of Ali from the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem in the northern West Bank.

Ali, 45, had previously spent nearly 20 years in Israeli prisons and was released three years ago. He was arrested again a week ago and transferred to the Jalamah interrogation center in northern Israel, the statement added.

According to the statement, Ali was transferred to Rambam Hospital in Israel early Wednesday and died there.

The circumstances of his death remain unclear, though his passing after a week of detention and interrogation suggests that torture, a common practice during the early stages of arrest, may have played a role.

Both groups emphasized that Ali had no chronic health issues and was married and expecting his second child.

His demise brings the total number of Palestinian deaths reported in Israeli prisons and detention centers to 48 since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023.

The two organizations noted that these figures only account for those whose deaths have been confirmed by the relevant authorities, while many more deaths, particularly of Gaza detainees, have not been publicly disclosed by Israel.

The statement warned that the harsh conditions in Israeli prisons along with testimonies from released prisoners indicated that more detainees are at risk of death, especially the sick, elderly and wounded.

Since 1967, the number of Palestinian prisoners who have died in Israeli custody has reached 285, with many more whose identities and circumstances remain hidden by Israeli authorities, the statement said.

The number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons is estimated at 10,300 as of early December, according to Israeli figures. Meanwhile, hundreds of detainees from Gaza remain subject to enforced disappearance in detention camps controlled by the Israeli military.

Tension has been running high in the West Bank due to Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 44,530 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year.

At least 804 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,450 others injured by the Israeli army in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

In July, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio