Latest news with #CommissionofDetaineesandEx-DetaineesAffairs
Middle East Eye
3 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Palestinian prisoner death toll rises as elderly man from Gaza dies in Israeli detention
An elderly man from Gaza has died in Israeli detention, bringing the overall death toll of Palestinian prisoners to at least 71 since 7 October 2023. Though the Israeli army had notified two Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, of his death in recent days, 70-year-old Hussein Abu Habel actually died on 10 January. Forty-five of the 71 Palestinians known to have died in Israeli-run detention centres and prisons since the start of the war on Gaza were from Gaza and their identities were known. In what has been described by the two prisoner advocacy groups as the "bloodiest phase in the history of the prisoner movement" and the "most severe" in detention conditions, the total number of identified Palestinian prisoners to have died since 1967 has risen to 308. "The case of the martyr Abu Habel is added to the record of the Israeli system of brutality, which operates around the clock through a series of organised crimes to kill prisoners and detainees," the prisoner advocacy groups said in a statement. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "These crimes constitute another aspect of the ongoing genocide and an extension of it." Torture, sexual assault, negiligence Abu Habel, who was married and the father of 11 children, was arrested on 12 November. The prisoner groups said they held Israel fully responsible for his death and demanded an international investigation into the deaths of Palestinian detainees. They said that reports on detainees and the circumstances of their deaths have been "limited to the army's narrative", as prison authorities continue to withhold some of the prisoners' bodies and have failed to disclose the cause of death. The statement emphasised that "torture crimes" constituted the "primary cause" of death for most Palestinian detainees killed since the beginning of the war on Gaza, alongside "escalating medical crimes, starvation and rape crimes". The Palestinian Prisoners' Club and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said the situation in Israeli prisons was taking "a more dangerous turn". According to the advocacy groups, Palestinian prisoners continue to be exposed to "systemic crimes", including starvation, torture, medical crimes and negiligence, sexual assaults, and the deliberate placing of them in poor and crowded conditions that lead to serious and contagious diseases. In a press release, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), an NGO established to monitor the use of torture and ill-treatment by Israeli security services against Palestinians under detention, noted a gap of 144 detainees in the state's data. "The fate of these detainees is unknown, and unexplained by state authorities," the statement read. Tal Steiner, the group's executive director, called on Israeli authorities to "provide complete explanations regarding the fate of the 144 missing detainees, and to immediately change the legislation that violates the fundamental rights of detainees. "The disturbing reports of torture in detention facilities and harsh living conditions that have even led to the deaths of many detainees require immediate investigation and fundamental change in the treatment of detainees." Administrative detention and 'unlawful combatants' As of June, there are over 10,400 Palestinians held in Israeli-run prisons, not including those held under military administrative detention. With regards to Palestinians held in military prisons under administrative detention, there are 49 women, over 440 children and 3,562 men, according to the Commission of Detainees Affairs. War on Gaza: Israel imprisoned 82-year-old Palestinian woman as 'unlawful combatant' Read More » Administrative detention allows Israel's military to hold prisoners indefinitely, citing alleged secret information, without charging them or allowing them to stand trial. While the period of detention lasts six months, it can be renewed indefinitely. Access to a lawyer varies from case to case, though, and detainees don't know what the charges against them are. An additional 2,214 detainees held by military authorities are from Gaza and have been classified as "unlawful combatants". The majority of people from Gaza held under the unlawful combatant law don't have charges against them either. Steiner said the legislation "enables serious rights violations that are incompatible with democratic values and international law". Released Palestinians from Gaza have spoken of how they were interrogated about whether they supported Hamas, where they lived and other details about their lives - but not presented with a single charge. Since Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza in late October 2023, its forces have seized hundreds of civilians from their homes or while they were fleeing fighting through "safe corridors". Some have been released after interrogation but many have been taken to undisclosed locations, including mothers separated from their babies.
Days of Palestine
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Palestinian Detainee Dies in Israeli Custody, Rights Groups Demand International Probe
DaysofPal — Palestinian human rights organizations reported Thursday that a 33-year-old detainee from Gaza died in Israeli custody on December 13, 2023, at the Sde Teiman military camp, days after he and his family were arrested during the early stages of Israel's ground invasion of Gaza. In a joint statement, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society confirmed they had received an official Israeli occupation army response acknowledging the detainee's death. He was arrested from his home in Gaza on December 7, 2023, and was a father of three. According to the statement, Sde Teiman has become a central site of abuse and torture against Gaza detainees in the aftermath of the military campaign. Released prisoners have shared accounts of severe mistreatment, with some bearing physical evidence that supports allegations of widespread and systematic violations. The detainee's death raises the number of Palestinians confirmed killed in Israeli custody following the Gaza offensive to at least 70, including 44 from Gaza whose identities are known. Since 1967, a total of 307 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody, marking this as the deadliest period in the history of the Palestinian prisoner movement. The organizations stated that responses from the Israeli army remain limited and often rely solely on military narratives, without disclosing the circumstances of death. The continued withholding of bodies further prevents independent investigations or proper burials. Rights groups accused the Israeli army of providing inconsistent information regarding the deaths, forcing some organizations to seek court intervention. Torture was cited as the primary cause of death in most recent cases, in addition to medical neglect, starvation, and sexual abuse. They described the case as part of a broader policy of systemic brutality aimed at detainees, warning that the death toll will likely rise as thousands remain in custody under conditions described as inhumane and life-threatening. As of early May 2025, over 10,100 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, including 39 women, more than 400 children, 3,577 administrative detainees held without charge, and 1,846 detainees from Gaza classified as 'unlawful combatants.' This figure does not include all those held in military camps. The organizations held Israeli authorities fully responsible and called for an impartial international investigation into the deaths of detainees during the recent conflict. They urged the global human rights system to take concrete steps, including imposing sanctions, to hold Israeli leaders accountable and end what they called a state of impunity. They further called for the reactivation of international legal mechanisms and an end to what they described as a global failure to respond to war crimes committed during the Gaza war, warning that the exceptional immunity granted to Israel continues to enable grave violations without consequence. Shortlink for this post:
Middle East Eye
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Palestinian officials name detainee who died in Israeli custody
The detainee who died earlier today in Israeli custody has been named by Palestinian officials as Nasser Khalil Radaydeh. The 49-year-old was from al-Ubeidiya, in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem. He was transferred to Hadasa hospital on Saturday from Israel's Ofer Prison. Radaydeh was a married father of seven. He has been imprisoned since 18 September 2023, according to Palestinian media. The total number of Palestinians to die in Israeli custody since the war on Gaza began has now risen to 65. At least 40 of these detainees are from Gaza. It marks the deadliest period for Palestinian prisoners since 1967. In a joint statement, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner's Society said they held Israel responsible for Radaydeh's death.
Al-Ahram Weekly
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Another Palestinian detainee dies in Israeli jails - War on Gaza
Palestinian prisoners' rights groups announced that Palestinian detainee Musab Hassan Adili had lost his life in an Israeli jail. Prisoner Musab Adili, from the village of Osarin, south of Nablus, died at Soroka Hospital last night, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said in a joint statement on Thursday. Adili, 20, was detained on 22 March 2024 and had been serving a sentence of one year and a month. He died just three days before his scheduled release. The statement said Adili's death adds to the growing list of prisoners killed as a result of the Israeli prison authorities' organized crimes, which have unprecedentedly escalated since the beginning of the current genocide in Gaza. It added that his death raises the number of Palestinian detainees killed in Israeli jails since the start of Israel's war on Gaza to 64, 40 of whom, at least, were from Gaza. The groups also noted that these are only the identified cases, referring to the crime of enforced disappearance, which continues to obscure the true scale of deaths in Israeli custody. Furthermore, they emphasized that detainees are subjected to systematic daily abuses, including torture, starvation, various forms of physical assault, medical neglect, sexual violence, and deliberate imposition of conditions that lead to the spread of serious and contagious diseases, most notably scabies. The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs had earlier stated that the number of Palestinians currently held in Israeli prisons stands at 9,900. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Middle East Eye
26-02-2025
- Middle East Eye
Palestinian prisoner from Gaza dies in Israeli jail
Raafat Abu Funouneh, 34, a Palestinian from Gaza who had been detained in Israel's Ayalon prison, has died in captivity, Palestinian officials said. The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner's Society said Abu Funouneh had been detained since 7 October 2023, along with his brother. They say he was wounded by prisoner authorities. He was recently transferred to a medical facility near Tel Aviv, until his death was confirmed on Wednesday. The commission and PPS noted that Abu Funouneh did not suffer from health problems before his detention, and said that they held Israeli authorities responsible for his death. The number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees that have died in Israeli prisons since October 2023 has now risen to 60.
