Palestinian Prisoner Death Toll Reaches 81 Since October 7
Israeli authorities have killed 81 Palestinian prisoners since October 7, 2023, according to the Palestine Center for Prisoner Studies, with the latest death occurring this week.
Mohammed Hussein Ghawadra, 63, from Jenin, died after more than a year in detention. The prisoner, who suffered from multiple illnesses, received no appropriate treatment before his health deteriorated severely, the Center reported.
The deaths have occurred through torture and deliberate medical neglect, the Center stated, warning that systematic killings will continue given current Israeli detention policies and the support provided by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to prison officials. Ben-Gvir has made continuous visits to prisons, threatening prisoners and encouraging prison administrations to intensify detention conditions.
Since 1967, 318 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody, including the 81 killed since October 2023. Israeli authorities continue to withhold 78 bodies, refusing to release them to families.
The Center documented that since October 7, 2023, Israeli interrogators have employed specific torture methods at the Sde Teiman, Ofer, and Negev detention facilities. These include electric shocks, severe beatings particularly to the upper body, forcing prisoners to remain naked in cold conditions for extended periods, and unleashing police dogs on weakened prisoners. Medical crimes against ill prisoners have led to several deaths due to lack of appropriate treatment.
More than 9,500 prisoners are currently held in Israeli facilities. The Center reports that Israeli authorities have implemented a starvation policy, with prisoners describing their situation as “famine.” Food provided for twelve prisoners is insufficient for even one person, resulting in universal weight loss, compromised immunity, and disease.
Epidemics and diseases, particularly scabies, have spread throughout the facilities. Israeli authorities deny hygiene supplies and treatment, including traditional remedies. Sick prisoners are deliberately kept with healthy ones to spread disease, according to the Center’s findings.
More than 20 percent of prisoners suffer from various illnesses, with hundreds experiencing serious conditions that could prove fatal without appropriate treatment. The Center warned of imminent additional deaths.
The Palestine Center called on the international community and human rights institutions to establish investigative committees to document killings and torture, pressure Israeli authorities to halt these practices, and demand that the International Criminal Court prosecute Israeli leaders for war crimes.
