At least 98 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since Oct. 2023

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
Today 14:30

At least 98 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since October 2023, with rights groups warning the real toll is likely far higher.

Israeli officer stands outside Ofer military prison near occupied al-Quds on Saturday, February 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

At least 98 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since October 2023, according to data from "Israel" and investigations by Physicians for Human Rights – "Israel" (PHRI). The group warned that the real number is likely much higher, as hundreds of detainees from Gaza remain missing without official acknowledgement.

PHRI’s report, based on freedom of information requests, forensic documentation, and testimonies, identifies causes of death, including physical violence, medical neglect, and malnutrition. The figures show an average of one death every four days during the first eight months of the war.

Although official updates from the Israeli occupation’s military and Prison Service stopped in mid-2024, PHRI researchers confirmed 35 additional deaths beyond that point. The group stated these figures likely underrepresent the full extent of deaths in Israeli custody.

Systemic abuse and impunity in Israeli prisons

The rise in deaths has coincided with an escalation in abuse across at least 12 civilian and military detention facilities, where Palestinian detainees have faced beatings, torture, starvation, and prolonged isolation.

Far-right Israeli National Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has publicly praised harsh conditions, including limiting food and detaining Palestinians in underground cells without daylight. Rights advocates say such practices have become normalized in Israeli prisons during the war.

“This isn’t just an individual case here and there. It is systemic and it will continue,” said Naji Abbas, head of the prisoners and detainees department at PHRI. “Even healthy, young detainees are in danger.”

Despite the growing death toll, only one soldier has been convicted over assaulting detainees, receiving a seven-month sentence. Attempts to prosecute others, including for cases involving sexual violence, have sparked right-wing backlash and led to the arrest of the military’s top lawyer. No charges have been filed over any deaths.

Forced disappearances and lack of transparency

A joint investigation by PHRI, the Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call found that most Palestinians from Gaza who died in Israeli custody were civilians. In May 2024, an internal military intelligence database listed only 21 deaths, despite at least 65 being officially acknowledged by that time.

The report solidifies a widespread lack of transparency from Israeli authorities, who have withheld information about detainees from Gaza for months, effectively carrying out a policy of forced disappearance. Even after publishing an email for inquiries in May, responses remained limited and unreliable.

Lawyers and families seeking information have repeatedly been told no records exist, even when arrests were well-documented. Human rights group HaMoked said that in one six-month period, such denials were issued for around 400 individuals.

Families struggle to trace missing detainees

Several deaths in custody became public only through court challenges or media attention. The family of Mounir Alfaqawi, 41, and his son Yassin, 18, learned of their deaths only after filing a legal appeal. The two were taken from their home in Khan Younis in March 2024, and the military initially denied their detention. A later admission revealed they had died in custody, with military police claiming to be investigating.

Other high-profile deaths include Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, head of orthopaedics at al-Shifa hospital, who died in Ofer prison. Witnesses said he appeared seriously injured and partially undressed before his death. His body has not been returned to Gaza.

Even among confirmed deaths, many remain unidentified. In 21 cases, mostly involving Gaza detainees, PHRI could not match Israeli data with any media or eyewitness reports, raising fears that families remain unaware of their loved ones' fates.

Ceasefire prisoner release reveals wider detention scale

Under the ceasefire agreement reached in mid-October, "Israel" released 250 Palestinians convicted in courts and 1,700 detainees from Gaza who had been held without charge. Despite this mass release, at least 1,000 others remain in Israeli custody under the same conditions.

The Israeli military claims it complies with international law and investigates each death in custody. The Israel Prison Service also stated it “examines” every case and denies awareness of the specific incidents reported by PHRI.

Still, rights groups say the lack of transparency, the scale of deaths, and the absence of accountability suggest a deeply entrenched policy of abuse targeting Palestinian detainees.

“These grave violations of international law have rendered any effort to determine the full scope of Israel’s policy of killing detained Palestinians, or to trace the fate of the many Palestinians taken into custody, extremely difficult, if not impossible,” the PHRI report concluded.