DaysofPal- The Palestinian “Prisoners’ Media Office” on Wednesday urged international bodies to launch an immediate investigation following new revelations about the rising number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli prisons after being subjected to severe torture and medical negligence.
The call came after Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) reported that 98 Palestinians, most of them civilians, died in Israeli detention centers and prisons since 7 October 2023.
The Prisoners’ Media Office said the newly released figures reaffirm long-standing reports by prisoner advocacy groups documenting the deliberate and systematic executions carried out in secrecy, far from public scrutiny.
The office stressed that the deaths of dozens of detainees without fair trial, due process, or even notifying their families, constitutes extrajudicial killing, amounting to both a war crime and a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
It added that these abuses represent a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions, particularly Common Article 3 and Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which obligate an occupying power to protect the lives, dignity, and well-being of detainees under all circumstances.
The Prisoners’ Media Office held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the deaths, citing brutal torture, starvation, and systematic medical neglect, and warned that the true number of detainees who have died in custody is likely much higher due to the Israeli “policy of concealment and enforced disappearance,” especially concerning those detained after October 7.
The office called on international organizations, especially the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to fulfill their responsibilities by opening an urgent international investigation, ensuring access to detainees, halting ongoing abuses, and holding perpetrators accountable before the International Criminal Court.
It also urged disclosure of the fate of detainees subjected to enforced disappearance, enabling family visits, monitoring their legal rights, and securing their release.
Finally, the Prisoners’ Media Office called for broad popular mobilization in support of Palestinian prisoners and their cause, stressing that public pressure is essential to securing their freedom and safeguarding their rights.
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