The Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society announced the death of 41-year-old Administrative Detainee Khaled Mahmoud Qassem Abdullah, 41, on February 23, 2025, in Megiddo Prison.
Abdullah had been held under administrative detention since November 9, 2023, without charges or trial.
His death adds to the growing list of individuals who have lost their lives due to the reported systematic abuses by the prison authorities, which have reached an unprecedented level since the outbreak of the current conflict.
The Commission and the Society stated that Khaled Abdullah was a married father of four. He also had two brothers, Shadi and Iyad Abdullah, who are similarly under administrative detention. His family asserted that he had no health issues prior to his arrest.
This latest death is the third to be reported within a week, bringing the total number of deaths among detainees in the occupation prisons to 61 since the conflict began. This figure includes at least 40 individuals from Gaza.
Historically, this period has been the deadliest for the prisoner movement since 1967, with the total known deaths among detainees since 1967 now standing at 298. Additionally, there are numerous detainees from Gaza whose whereabouts remain unknown, and the number of bodies being held has risen to 70, with 59 of those deaths occurring since the conflict began.
The Commission and the Society condemned the death of Khaled Abdullah as another egregious example of the brutality of the Israeli prison system, which has intensified since October 7, 2023.
They stated that the authorities often delay revealing the fates of detainees who have died, as was the case with many detainees from Gaza, including Khaled Abdullah.
The organizations asserted that the current treatment of detainees is a continuation of the broader conflict, aiming to execute and eliminate them. They warned that the rising number of deaths among detainees would become even more alarming as time goes on, given the systematic abuses they face, including torture, starvation, various forms of assault, medical neglect, sexual violence, and conditions that lead to serious illnesses, alongside unprecedented levels of theft and deprivation.
Holding the occupation authorities fully responsible for Khaled Abdullah’s death, the Commission and the Society reiterated their call for the international human rights system to take decisive actions against the leaders responsible for these alleged war crimes.
They urged for sanctions that would isolate the occupation state internationally and restore the fundamental role of the human rights system and called for an end to the exceptional immunity granted to the occupation state by the former colonial powers, ensuring it is held accountable for its actions.
