Martyrs in Captivity
Deep within Israeli detention facilities, where hope remains imprisoned behind iron bars, a silent war is being waged against the bodies and spirits of Palestinian detainees.
Since October 7, 2023, the systematic pattern of abuse has dramatically escalated, transforming prison cells into arenas of retribution where severe forms of oppression and deliberate medical neglect are practiced.
This represents not individual transgressions but a deliberate policy designed to gradually drain life from Palestinian prisoners.
The death toll among prisoners and detainees has risen to at least 81 since the Israeli military operation began on October 7, including 47 from Gaza. The total number of documented deaths in Israeli custody since 1967 has reached 318. Israeli authorities continue to withhold the bodies of deceased prisoners and maintain secrecy regarding the circumstances of their deaths.
This report documents the testimonies of prisoners who died in custody under conditions of neglect and abuse:
Omar Daraghmeh, 58, from Tubas. Two days after his detention in Megiddo Prison, he died under torture on October 23, 2023. He had been in good health before his arrest.
Thaer Abu Asab, 38, from Qalqilya. Died under torture on November 18, 2023.
Khaled Al-Shawish, 53, from Tubas. Died due to deliberate medical neglect on February 19, 2024.
Asif Al-Rifai, 21, from Ramallah. Died due to deliberate medical neglect on February 29, 2024.
Mohammed Walid Ali, 45, from Nur Shams Camp in Tulkarem. Died on December 4, 2024, one week after his arrest and transfer for interrogation at Al-Jalame Interrogation Center. He had no prior health conditions. He died at Rambam Hospital due to harsh interrogation and torture.
Ezzedine Abdul-Banna, 40, from Gaza City. Despite his physical disability, he was denied treatment inside Ramle Prison. Medical neglect was the direct cause of his death on February 24, 2024.
Adnan Al-Bursh, Head of the Orthopedics Department at Al-Shifa Hospital, resident of Gaza City. Arrested in December 2023 while present at Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia. He endured torture until his death inside Ofer Prison on April 19, 2024.
Musab Haniyeh, 35, from Gaza City. Arrested from Hamad City on March 3, 2024. He had no health problems. Died on January 5, 2025, under continuous torture and medical neglect.
Mustafa Abu Ara, 63, from Tubas. An elderly man left without minimal care until he died due to medical neglect on July 25, 2024, despite being held under administrative detention.
Raafat Abu Fanouneh, 33, from Deir al-Balah in Gaza Strip. Wounded during his arrest after October 7. Details of his medical condition were not disclosed until the announcement of his death in Ofer Prison on February 26, 2025.
Ali Al-Batsh, an elderly prisoner from Gaza. Died in Negev Prison in March 2025 due to medical neglect.
Khaled Abdullah, 40, from Jenin. Died under systematic torture on February 23, 2024.
Walid Ahmad, 17, from Ramallah. A child prisoner killed by medical neglect in Negev Prison on March 23, 2025.
Musab Adili, 20, from Awsarin in Nablus. Died as a result of torture and neglect on April 17, 2025, days before the end of his sentence.
Nasser Radaideh, 49, from Bethlehem. Arrested in September 2023, transferred to Hadassah Hospital where he died in April 2025 amid mysterious health circumstances.
Mohieddin Najm, 60, from Jenin. Died after acute health suffering and complete denial of treatment. He died at Soroka Israeli Hospital, having been under administrative detention since August 8, 2023, having spent a total of 19 years in Israeli prisons.
Ayman Abdul-Hadi Qadeeh, 56. Arrested on October 7, 2023, and died inside Israeli prisons just 5 days after his arrest, on October 12, 2023.
Bilal Talal Salameh, 24. Arrested during his displacement from Khan Younis Governorate in March 2024. Spent five months in prison and died on August 11, 2024.
Mohammed Ismail Al-Astal, 46. Arrested on February 7, 2024. Spent approximately 3 months in prisons and died on May 2, 2025. Israeli authorities revealed no details regarding the circumstances of his death.
Amr Hatem Odeh, 33, from Gaza, died on December 13, 2023, at Sde Teiman camp. He and his family members were arrested from their home at the beginning of the ground invasion of Gaza on December 7, 2023. He was married and father to three children.
Luay Faisal Mohammed Nasrallah, 22, from Jenin, died at Soroka Israeli Hospital after transfer from Negev Prison. He had been administratively detained since March 26, 2024. No other details are available about the circumstances of his death.
Samir Mohammed Youssef Al-Rifai, 53, from Rummana village west of Jenin, died on July 17, 2025, seven days after his arrest. His first court session was supposed to be held at Salem Military Court on the day of his death.
Firas Subh, 47, from Tubas, died after being injured and arrested during the raid on Al-Far’a Camp at dawn on Thursday, July 17, 2025.
Sayel Rajab Abu Nasr, 60, from Gaza Strip, died inside Israeli prisons on January 21, 2025, approximately two months after his arrest in November 2023.
Ahmad Saeed Saleh Tazazaa, 20, from Qabatiya in Jenin district, died inside Megiddo Israeli Prison, approximately three months after his administrative detention without charge.
Musab Abdul-Moneim Al-Aidah, 20, from Hebron, died on August 25, 2025, at Shaare Tzedek Israeli Hospital, after being shot by Israeli forces on Thursday, August 21, 2025, in Tel Rumeida area in Hebron.
Ahmad Hatem Mohammed Khudairat, 22, from Al-Dhahiriya town south of Hebron, died on Monday morning, October 7, 2025, at Soroka Israeli Hospital, after deliberate medical neglect.
Mahmoud Talal Abdullah, 49, from Jenin Camp, died on October 19, 2025, at Assaf Harofeh Israeli Hospital, after severe deterioration in his health condition due to medical neglect.
Kamel Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Ajrami, 69, from Gaza Strip, died in prison after transfer from Negev Prison to Soroka Israeli Hospital, where he died on October 10, 2025, with his death announced on October 20, 2025.
Mohammed Hussein Ghawadra, 63, from Burqin village in Jenin district, died in Israeli prisons on November 2, 2025.
Legal Analysis of Violations Against Prisoners
Despite clear international laws guaranteeing prisoners’ rights, Israeli authorities systematically violate these conventions.
According to the Geneva Conventions, a prisoner is considered a protected person with the right to receive medical care and humane treatment, the right to a fair trial, and protection from torture or collective punishment.
What occurs in Israeli prisons represents a flagrant violation of these conventions. The Prison Service deliberately denies prisoners medical treatment, imposes prolonged solitary confinement, prevents visits from lawyers and families, and employs systematic physical and psychological abuse as instruments of pressure.
The withholding of killed prisoners’ bodies violates both the dignity of the killed and the rights of their families. This contravenes Article 17 of the First Geneva Convention, which obligates states to respect the remains of the dead, deliver them to their relatives, and ensure dignified burial. International law experts classify these policies within the framework of “war crimes” and “extrajudicial killing.”
This issue transcends violated rights, it constitutes a crime practiced openly, transforming every cell into a theater for law violation.
Withholding Bodies: An Ongoing Crime
Israeli authorities continue to withhold the bodies of 89 prisoners who died in custody, including 78 since the beginning of the current military operation, while dozens from Gaza remain subject to enforced disappearance. They remain in numbered graves or unknown locations, denied farewell and dignified burial. Since 1967, 318 Palestinian prisoners have died inside Israeli prisons.
Each prisoner who died behind bars has a story of struggle, a cry silenced between walls. Their names remain engraved in Palestinian collective memory.
