RAMALLAH, (The Palestinian Information Center) At least 75 Palestinians, including a 17-year-old, have died in Israeli detention since October 7, 2023, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the occupied Palestinian territories.
49 of these detained victims were from the Gaza Strip, 24 from the West Bank, and two were Palestinian citizens of Israel. An additional 19 deaths were acknowledged by Israeli authorities without sufficient details to verify their identities. At least five Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, died in custody shortly after being shot by Israeli security forces, some without timely medical attention, the report explains.
The report has accused Israeli authorities of systematically torturing Palestinian prisoners, subjecting them to deliberate ill-treatment, and denying them access to medical care.
“Israeli authorities have deliberately imposed conditions of detention that amount to torture or other forms of ill-treatment and that have contributed to the deaths of detainees, while the culture of impunity and the denial of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access have predictably fostered extreme violence against Palestinians in Israeli jails.”
“We have documented the systematic torture and ill-treatment to which Israel has subjected Palestinian prisoners, including repeated beatings, waterboarding, stress positions, the use of rape and other sexual and gender-based violence and the imposition of deliberately inhumane conditions such as starvation and the denial of clean clothes, hygiene necessities and medical care.”
OHCHR said “Israeli authorities must urgently end the systematic torture and other ill-treatment of Palestinians held in their prisons and other places of detention and protect and ensure their right to life.”
At least 22 detainees who died had health conditions requiring medical attention prior to their arrest, while in at least 12 cases, OHCHR gathered testimonies or evidence in the form of autopsy reports that detainees died after being beaten or tortured by Israeli security forces.
The office also drew attention to Israel’s refusal to comply with a September 7 High Court decision ordering the State to improve the quantity and quality of food provided to Palestinian prisoners, as well as Israeli attempts to conceal reports on detention conditions.
“Unless rebutted by investigations respecting international standards for each incident, Israel remains responsible for every single death in custody,” it said, warning such practices may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.
“Israel has the obligation to end all practices that amount to torture or other ill-treatment, and to protect all detainees against such practices, including by ensuring prisoners have regular access to their families, their lawyers, the courts and that independent bodies such as the (International Committee of the Red Cross) ICRC conduct regular inspections of places of detention,” the rights office underscored.
“Israel must protect and respect the right to life of all prisoners, and must provide access to adequate medical care, including to ensure that prisoners do not die from preexisting conditions,” it added.
