Elderly Palestinian Political Detainee Killed in Israeli Occupation’s Custody
6/3/2025

Commission of Detainees’ Affairs & the Palestinian Prisoner's Society

Ramallah, Palestine - Israeli occupation authorities have disclosed the martyrdom of a 62-year-old Palestinian male detainee in their custody two weeks after his death: Ali Ashour Ali al-Batsh, who was abducted from the occupied Gaza Strip 14 months ago.

The Palestinian General Authority of Civil Affairs was informed only today, March 6, 2025, that al-Batsh lost his life on February 21. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) and the Commission of Detainees' Affairs subsequently informed his family.

Al-Batsh, who is a husband and father to six children, was abducted by occupation forces on December 12, 2023. He lost his life days after he was transferred from the occupation’s Naqab prison where he was being held, to the Soroka Hospital.

Al-Batsh is the latest Palestinian political prisoner to be killed by the occupation in its custody. The rate and frequency of killings of Palestinian detainees is unprecedented, particularly since the genocide in Gaza. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs affirm once again that the Israeli occupation holds full responsibility for the murder of al-Batsh and dozens of other detainees in its custody - some of whom were tortured to death - and must be held accountable for these crimes.

Al-Batsh is the fourth Palestinian detainee to be martyred in just over a week. With his killing, the number of identified martyred Palestinian detainees since the start of the genocide on October 7, 2023, to 62 people, at least 40 of whom were abducted from the occupied Gaza Strip. As a result, the number of identified martyred Palestinian detainees since the occupation of 1967 has risen to 299 people. Additionally, the number of martyred detainees whose bodies are still being withheld by the occupation has risen to 71 people, including 60 people since the genocide.

The occupation army only responds sporadically and arbitrarily to legal requests for information, and often uses the pretext of an ‘ongoing investigation’ to evade accountability, and to torture Palestinians both physically and mentally as a matter of policy. The Israeli army is the only official side able to reveal the fate of martyred Palestinian detainees since there is no evidence of their killing with the army continuing to withhold their bodies.

The Commission and the PPS stress that the rate of Palestinian detainees losing their lives is unprecedented and will only increase with time. Thousands of Palestinians are held behind bars undergoing a myriad of severe violations including torture, starvation, sexual assault, deprivation of medical treatment, unsanitary conditions leading grave and infectious diseases. The international community must act now to save the lives of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli custody.

Detainees in Megiddo prison are facing illness and hunger

. Detainees attended the visitation while being handcuffed

. Each detainee was allowed to 15 minutes of the visitation

. The lawyer was prevented from talking to detainees privately

*cases in point:

. Detainee Kamal Tharefa, 68, from Nablus.
He suffers from several diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, prostate and scabies. He also lost 30 kilograms of weight due to malnutrition.

. Detainee Walid Edaily, 24, from Nablus
He had a surgery to implant cornea. He has 20 stitches in his eye need to be removed, but the administration of prison refuses to let him see the doctor. He lost 55 kilograms of weight due to malnutrition.

. Detainee Ahmad Hasanat, 16, from Bethlehem
He suffers from scabies. He was isolated with 10 detainees in the same room without any treatment.

■ Palestinian political detainee killed in Israeli occupation’s custody

26/2/2025
Commission of Detainees' Affairs & Palestinian Prisoners' Society

Ramallah, Palestine - Israeli occupation authorities have disclosed the killing of Palestinian political detainee Raafat Abu Fanouneh in their custody. Occupation authorities informed the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs that Abu Fanouneh lost his life today, on February 26, 2025.

Raafat Adnan Abdulaziz Abu Fanouneh is a 34-year-old husband and father who was abducted by the occupation army from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. He did not have any pre-existing health issues. The circumstances and manner in which he was killed remain unclear because occupation authorities have imposed an information blackout on the prisoners.

Abu Fanouneh was being held at the Ramla Prison and was recently transferred to the occupation’s Assaf Harofeh Hospital where he was announced dead. He was wounded by soldiers during his arrest, and his brother Shadi was also taken along with him. Occupation authorities refused to allow any lawyer visits to Abu Fanouneh during his time in detention, leaving his family in the dark for 16 months, before learning that he lost his life today. Since October 7, 2023, family visits have been completely halted.

Abu Fanouneh is the latest Palestinian to be killed in the occupation’s prisons and military camps in obscure ways that the Israeli army continues to conceal. With Abu Fanouneh, there have been 60 identified Palestinian political detainees who have been killed in custody since the start of the genocide in October 2023, at least 39 of them arrested from Gaza. Dozens more have been killed with the occupation refusing to reveal their fate or identities, leaving countless families in fear and psychological torture. The total number of identified martyred detainees since the occupation of 1967 is 297 people. The rate of killings in prisons and military camps is the highest historically.

The occupation army only responds sporadically and arbitrarily to legal requests for information, and often uses the pretext of an ‘ongoing investigation’ to evade accountability, and to torture Palestinians both physically and mentally as a matter of policy. The Israeli army is the only official side able to reveal the fate of martyred Palestinian detainees since there is no evidence of their killing with the army continuing to withhold their bodies.

The Commission and the PPS stress that the rate of Palestinian detainees losing their lives is unprecedented and will only increase with time. Thousands of Palestinians are held behind bars undergoing a myriad of severe violations including torture, starvation, sexual assault, deprivation of medical treatment, unsanitary conditions leading grave and infectious diseases. The international community must act now to save the lives of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli custody.

▪️ March 2025 update on number of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli occupation’s custody

As of the start of March, the number of Palestinians held in Israeli occupation prisons, detention centers and military camps has exceeded 9,500 people. This figure does not include all the people who were arrested from Gaza, particularly those being held in military camps.

The 9,500 people include:
- More than 350 Palestinian children
- At least 21 Palestinian women
- 3,405 Palestinians are held without trial or charge, under ‘administrative detention’
- 1,555 Palestinians who were arrested from Gaza, held without trial or charge, under “illegal combatants” law

Before the genocide, the number of Palestinians held in the occupation’s custody was at least 5,250 people, including 40 female prisoners, 170 children, and approximately 1,320 ‘administrative detainees.’

Note: The number of detainees is subject to change on a daily basis due to ongoing arrest campaigns.

Difficult Conditions faced by detainees in Shata Prison as Ramadan Approaches

Commission of Detainees’ Affairs:
Ongoing nightly inspections inside Gilboa Prison sections accompanied by assaults against detainees and severe beatings

Palestinian political detainee from Jenin camp - held without trial or charge - killed in occupation's prison
3/3/2025

Commission of Detainees' Affairs & Palestinian Prisoners' Society

Ramallah, Palestine - Israeli occupation authorities have disclosed the killing of a 40-year-old Palestinian political detainee from the Jenin refugee camp last week, who was being held in their Megiddo prison. The Palestinian General Authority of Civil Affairs was informed only this morning that the detainee Khaled Mahmoud Qassem Abdullah was martyred more than a week ago, on February 23.

The details of his killing remain unclear as occupation authorities continue to impose a lethal information blackout on the prisoners. Nevertheless, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) and the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs affirm that the Israeli occupation bears full responsibility for the killing of Khaled Abdullah and all other prisoners who were martyred in a myriad of horrific ways including sexual torture and rape.

Khaled Abdullah was arrested by occupation forces on November 9, 2023, and had been held since then under Israel’s notorious ‘administrative detention’ policy, without trial or charge. He was married and a father to four children. Two of Khaled’s brothers, Shadi and Iyad Abdullah, are also being held in Israel’s military prison system without trial or charge.

Khaled Abdullah is the latest Palestinian political detainee to be murdered by Israeli prison authorities and guards – whether directly or indirectly. He is the third Palestinian political prisoner to be killed within the span of the past week, bringing the number of identified martyred detainees since the start of the genocide to 61 people. At least 40 people of those were arrested from Gaza.

Since the start of the genocide, the rate of prisoners being killed inside the occupation’s prisons and military camps is unprecedented. Dozens more have been killed with the occupation refusing to reveal their fate or identities, leaving countless families in fear and psychological torture.

The total number of identified martyred detainees since the occupation of 1967 is 298 people. Additionally, the number of martyred prisoners whose bodies are being withheld by the occupation has risen to 70 people, 59 of whom have been abducted since the start of the genocide.

The occupation army only responds sporadically and arbitrarily to legal requests for information, and often uses the pretext of an ‘ongoing investigation’ to evade accountability, and to torture Palestinians both physically and mentally as a matter of policy. The Israeli army is the only official side able to reveal the fate of martyred Palestinian detainees since there is no evidence of their killing with the army continuing to withhold their bodies.

The Commission and the PPS stress that the rate of Palestinian detainees losing their lives is unprecedented and will only increase with time. Thousands of Palestinians are held behind bars undergoing a myriad of severe violations including torture, starvation, sexual assault, deprivation of medical treatment, unsanitary conditions leading grave and infectious diseases. The international community must act now to save the lives of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli custody and prevent them from being murdered

Detainee Saleh Nazzal suffers from deliberate medical neglect in Ofer prison

Commission of Detainees’ Affairs:
The administration of the Russian Compound Prison deprives the sick detainee Sireen Saaedi from treatment