23-year-old Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli prison

The Israel Prison Service (IPS) announced on Monday the death of a 23-year-old Palestinian prisoner linked to Fatah, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, adding that it was “investigating” the circumstances of his death.

The prisoner, whose identity was not disclosed, died in Megiddo prison in northern Israel, IPS said. According to the same source, he is from the city of Nablus in the north of the occupied West Bank and is a member of Fatah. He was arrested in June 2022 and sentenced to prison for “security violations.”

“As in any such case, the circumstances (of the death) will be reviewed,” she added. The Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, a Palestinian Authority body, confirmed the prisoner’s death, saying it was working to obtain details about the circumstances of his death. On December 21, Israeli police reported that about twenty prison guards were questioned before being released “under restrictive conditions” as part of an investigation into the death of a Palestinian prisoner due to alleged violence.

Harsh conditions

Thaer Abu Assab, 38, from the northern occupied West Bank town of Qalqilya, died in November after he was beaten by prison guards in southern Israel where he was being held, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) said the case raised “serious suspicions about the transformation of the Israeli Prison Service from a professional prison agency into a vindictive and punitive force.” “Six prisoners have already died in prison. All cases of violence and death must be immediately investigated,” he added.

At the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7, Israeli prison authorities announced tougher conditions for Palestinian prisoners: it is no longer possible to leave the cell and therefore visit the rooms, it is no longer possible to make purchases in the canteen or electrical outlets in the cells, and also more frequent surprise searches. At the beginning of December, there were about 7,800 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an association that defends their rights.