RAMALLAH(Palestine Foundation Information Center) A 65-year-old Palestinian prisoner from Gaza has died recently in a prison in central Israel, according to a joint statement released by the Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) on Saturday.
Nasr Ziyara, a father of seven children, died at the Ramla jail on August 16, the statement read.
Ziyara was kidnaped on December 29, 2023, along with his son Jihad, who is currently being held in the Negev jail in southern Israel.
The statement said Ziyara and his son experienced prolonged maltreatment during interrogation inside their home in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City before their detention.
Prisoners, who were visited in Ramla jail, affirmed that martyr Ziyara had been transferred to Ramla prison one week before his death, adding that he was suffering from serious health issues, including burns in the lower part of his body.
However, the prisoner’s family said that Ziyara suffered from diabetes and heart problems and had no burns on his body when he was kidnaped from his home, according to the Commission and PPS.
Ziyara’s death raises the number of prisoners who have died in Israeli prisons since October. 7, 2023, to 24, their statement added.
The statement held the Israeli occupation army fully responsible for Ziyara’s death and called on the international human rights community to hold Israel accountable for its “crimes” against Palestinian detainees.