NAZARETH, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)
An Israeli human rights organization, Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHRI), confirmed in a report published Monday that Israeli occupation authorities practice a systematic policy of killing, mistreatment, medical negligence, and concealment of causes of death inside prisons and detention centers against Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
The report revealed that 98 Palestinians died while in Israeli custody over the past two year, the highest number recorded to date, surpassing all previous estimates of prisoner deaths.
The tally includes 94 prisoners who were martyred between October 7, 2023 and August 2025, in addition to four others who died in October and November 2025.
The organization stressed that the policy of enforced disappearance pursued by the Israeli army since the start of the war means that the real numbers may be much higher, noting that the report includes only the deaths that occurred inside detention facilities and does not account for seven documented cases of Palestinians who were executed by gunfire shortly after arrest.
The report is the most comprehensive to date on the deaths of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons, as it draws on multiple sources, including official responses to Freedom of Information requests, autopsy reports attended by family-appointed doctors, and medical files of prisoners prior to their deaths.
It also relies on medical complaints handled by the organization, testimonies from former prisoners and medical staff, as well as information from other human rights groups.
An appendix to the report contains detailed accounts of 76 fully verified deaths.
According to the report, 46 deaths occurred inside facilities run by the Israel Prison Service, including:
– 16 in Ketziot Prison (Negev),
– 7 in Megiddo Prison,
– 5 in Ofer Prison,
– 7 in Nitzan Prison (Ramla) and the IPS medical center (Ramla Prison Clinic),
– 4 in Nafha Prison,
– 1 in Eshel Prison,
– 6 in Shin Bet (Shabak) interrogation centers (Kishon–Jalameh and Shikma–Ashkelon).
Meanwhile, 52 other prisoners, all from Gaza, were martyred while held by the Israeli army, including:
– 29 in Sde Teiman military camp,
– 7 in military bases near the Gaza security barrier,
– 6 in Soroka Hospital after delayed transfer from detention centers,
– 2 in Ofer military camp,
– 1 in Anatot camp,
– while the place of death of 8 prisoners remains unknown.
The report revealed a recurring pattern of severe violence and grave medical neglect inside detention centers. A review of 10 autopsy reports showed signs of physical violence in nearly half of the cases, including head injuries, internal bleeding, and rib fractures.
Other reports documented cases of acute malnutrition, denial of insulin to diabetic patients, and the refusal of prison authorities to provide basic treatment to cancer patients or those suffering from life-threatening infections.
These findings are consistent with widespread reports over the past two years of starvation, dehydration, and exposure to extreme cold and heat in Israeli prisons and detention camps.
