GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Family and human rights sources announced Thursday evening the death of detainee Hatem Rayan, 59, in Israeli prisons.
Rayan’s family confirmed they had been notified of his death. As of now, the Israeli Prison Service has not issued any official statement clarifying the circumstances surrounding his death.
Rayan’s death comes amid catastrophic humanitarian conditions faced by Palestinian detainees, particularly those from northern Gaza who were arrested during recent ground operations.
Approximately 10,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in Israeli prisons, where they are reportedly subjected to ongoing violations. According to the Palestinian Center, more than 90 detainees have died in Israeli custody over the past two years, with the bodies of several still being withheld.
Many detainees from Gaza who have died remain forcibly disappeared, and dozens are reported to have been summarily executed in the field. Images of prisoners’ bodies returned following the ceasefire have been cited by Palestinian organizations as evidence of systematic executions carried out by Israeli forces against detainees.
The Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs informed both the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) of Rayan’s death in Negev Prison. He had been arrested on December 27, 2024.
A joint statement issued Thursday by the Commission and the PPS said Israeli forces detained Rayan from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza during the siege imposed on the facility. His injured son, Moath Rayan, was arrested at the same time and remains in detention.
According to the statement, Rayan had suffered a stroke shortly before his arrest, as reported by his family, but insisted on continuing his humanitarian work with ambulance services until the moment of his detention. The period during which he was arrested saw a wide campaign of detentions targeting medical personnel, including Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, who was detained on the same date.
