The Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed the death of a Palestinian prisoner from the Gaza Strip who was held in an interrogation center belonging to the Israeli internal security service (Shin Bet), which remained unknown for a long time despite the occupation being aware of it. The newspaper clarified that the prisoner was 40 years old and died in January 2024 after falling from a height while in the interrogation center, with his hands tightly shackled.

The newspaper pointed out that the body of the dead was transferred without any identifying information, leading to it being registered as "unknown," even though the Shin Bet knows his identity precisely. According to investigative sources cited by the newspaper, it was claimed that the cause of death was his fall from a significant height while attempting to escape from the place where he was being interrogated, despite his hands being completely shackled.

Autopsy results showed that the death was due to a fall from a significant height, with signs indicating that the detainee had been handcuffed for a long time before his death. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that the investigation into the circumstances of the death had concluded, and no evidence was found indicating criminal suspicions, despite the death occurring while he was in state custody, raising questions about the negligence of the concerned authorities, especially the Shin Bet, which refused to comment on the incident.

In a related context, the newspaper reported that since the beginning of the war, at least six cases of death of Palestinians have been recorded while being interrogated by the Shin Bet, amid the ongoing policy of slow killing and abuse against Palestinian prisoners. While Israel releases some prisoners from time to time, it continues to detain large numbers of them under harsh and inhumane conditions.

In another development, the Office of Prisoners' Media in Gaza announced that the occupation authorities released nine prisoners yesterday, Monday, who had been held in custody, as they arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital via the Kisufim gate east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. The release of these prisoners is considered a limited step amid the ongoing mass arrests and abuse of Palestinian prisoners.

The occupation authorities classify about 1,747 prisoners from Gaza as "illegal combatants," a dangerous classification used to undermine their international legal rights, allowing their detention in closed military camps that are not subject to any oversight or accountability. Testimonies from released prisoners confirm that the practices of the occupation include serious violations, including physical and psychological torture, deliberate medical neglect, solitary confinement, and deprivation of food and healthcare.

According to international law experts, these practices constitute clear violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention and rise to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity, amid a complete international silence and clear Western complicity. A recent Palestinian report showed that the number of prisoners in the occupation's prisons reached about 10,800 by the beginning of July, including 49 women and 450 children, the highest number since the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000.