The Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority informed the Detainees’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, early Sunday morning, of the death of 17-year-old detainee Walid Khaled Abdullah Ahmad from Silwad, a town east of the Ramallah and Al-Biereh governorate, in the central part of the occupied West Bank.
In a joint statement, the two organizations emphasized that Ahmad’s death, in Megiddo Prison, adds to the growing list of Palestinians who have died due to systematic abuses within Israeli detention facilities.
These violations have intensified since October 7, 2023, and include torture, starvation, denying medical treatment, threats, and various sexual violations.
The statement noted that Ahmad was abducted on September 30, 2024, and had remained in detention since then. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
The Detainees’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society highlighted that Ahmad is the 63rd detainee to die since October 7, 2023, with identities confirmed for all but 40 of the deceased, many of whom were from Gaza.
This period has been described as the deadliest for Palestinian detainees since 1967. The total number of confirmed deaths among detainees since 1967 has now reached 300.
Additionally, dozens of detainees from Gaza remain forcibly disappeared, and the number of deceased detainees whose bodies are held by Israeli authorities has risen to 72, including 61 since the escalation began.
The organizations condemned Ahmad’s death as a new crime in the record of Israeli detention practices, which they described as reaching unprecedented levels of brutality since the escalation.
They warned that the rising death toll among detainees is likely to worsen as thousands remain in Israeli prisons, subjected to systematic abuses, including torture, starvation, medical neglect, sexual violence, and conditions deliberately designed to cause severe illnesses. These practices are compounded by unprecedented levels of deprivation and confiscation of basic rights.
The statement held Israeli authorities fully accountable for Ahmad’s death and reiterated calls for the international human rights community to take decisive action and urged the implementation of measures to hold Israeli leaders accountable for war crimes, impose sanctions to isolate Israel internationally, and restore the fundamental role of human rights organizations.
They also called for an end to the exceptional impunity granted to Israel by former colonial powers, which has shielded it from accountability.
It is worth mentioning that Israel restricts humanitarian organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), from visiting Palestinian detainees held in its prisons and detention facilities.
Critics argue that such measures contravene international laws, including the Geneva Conventions, which mandate access to humanitarian aid for detainees during times of conflict.
In response to growing criticism, the Israeli High Court has requested that the government provide an explanation for the policy. Nevertheless, the restrictions remain in effect, raising serious concerns over transparency and detainees’ treatment within Israeli detention centers.
