DaysofPal – A new report by Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) warns that the number of Palestinians dying inside Israeli detention facilities has escalated sharply since the war on Gaza began in October 2023, raising urgent concerns about torture, enforced disappearance, and systemic abuse.
According to the report, released Monday, at least 94 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody over the past year. PHRI says the real figure is likely far higher, particularly among the thousands of Palestinians taken from Gaza who have effectively “disappeared” inside Israel’s military and prison network.
The organization accused Israeli authorities of consistently failing to hold personnel accountable for detainee deaths and of obstructing all independent oversight.
Hundreds Disappeared, Families Left Without Answers
Of the 94 documented deaths, 68 detainees were from Gaza and 26 from the West Bank or Palestinian citizens of Israel. At least 52 deaths occurred in military detention sites, while 42 were recorded in facilities run by the Israel Prison Service (IPS).
PHRI says Israel has refused to share basic detainee information with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), blocked all access to detention sites, and in many cases denied that prisoners even existed, an approach the group described as a “direct breach of both international and domestic law.”
Families frequently learn about the death of their relatives through Israeli media, not through official channels. PHRI highlighted the case of Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
Israeli officials initially claimed they had no record of his arrest after he was taken from the hospital in December. He remains in Israeli custody despite international pressure, and his lawyer says he has been subjected to torture and humiliation.
Torture, Medical Neglect and Malnutrition Cited as Leading Causes of Death
Detainee deaths have been documented across nearly every major IPS prison, including Ktzi’ot, Megiddo, Nitzan and Ofer, along with military bases and camps such as the notorious Sde Teiman, where former detainees have described electric shocks, dog attacks, prolonged binding, deprivation, and sexual violence.
The report identifies physical violence as the leading cause of death, with documented cases of severe bruising, rib fractures, internal organ damage, and intracranial hemorrhage. Chronic medical neglect, denial of treatment, and severe malnutrition were also cited as major contributors.
PHRI said the combination of abuse, secrecy, and obstruction amounts to a system of enforced disappearance and “institutionalized cover-ups.”
Call for International Investigation
Given the scale of allegations and Israel’s refusal to allow independent monitoring, PHRI urged the international community to launch an independent investigation into the deaths of Palestinians in Israeli custody.
“Given the grave conditions faced by Palestinians in Israeli incarceration facilities, and in light of Israel’s policies of enforced disappearance, systematic killing, and institutionalized cover-ups, PHRI calls for an independent international investigation,” the group said.
Human rights organizations say the report adds to mounting evidence of widespread violations in Israeli prisons, where thousands of Palestinians are held under conditions described by former detainees and rights monitors as brutal, dehumanizing, and designed to inflict long-term harm.
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