Unveiling the circumstances of the death of 86 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons within less than 26 months

The Palestinian Prisoners' Media Office revealed on Saturday the circumstances of the death of 86 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons within less than 26 months, confirming the existence of a pattern it described as "disturbing" of widespread practices of "torture, medical neglect, and enforced disappearance."

This came in a "fact sheet" issued by the office affiliated with the "Hamas" movement, titled "Martyrs of the Shackles," covering the period from October 15, 2023, to December 10, 2025.

**Circumstances of Death

The "fact sheet" stated that 47 cases represent the main cause of death in "torture and beating," which was also coupled with a policy of "medical neglect."

The sheet indicated that 41 cases suffered from medical neglect, especially diseases like cancer, diabetes, disability, and scabies, in addition to previous "injuries" that were not treated.

It clarified that at least 22 cases were subjected to "enforced disappearance" during the detention period or even until the date of announcement of their death, noting that enforced disappearance appeared as a cause or place of death.

It also pointed out that it documented the death of two prisoners for using them as human shields within the execution categories, in addition to the death of two other prisoners by direct execution by firing.

According to the sheet's data, some cases fall under more than one classification, especially the categories of torture and beating, and medical neglect.

**Places of Death

Regarding the places of death, the "fact sheet" said that 59 prisoners died in the prisons of "Ofer, Megiddo, Negev, Ramla, Sde Teiman, and Janot," and 10 Palestinian prisoners died in the hospitals of "Rambam, Soroka, Meir, and Sheba Medical Center."

Meanwhile, the places of death for those subjected to enforced disappearance were not identified, according to the sheet's data.

The sheet considered these conditions to which the prisoners were exposed as "a serious violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention (which stipulates protection and provision of decent detention conditions), and a breach of the right to life and the prohibition of torture," and considered "enforced disappearance an independent crime."

**Calls and Demands

The sheet called for conducting independent and immediate international investigations into the cases of death inside Israeli prisons, and the necessity of stopping the policies of torture, medical neglect, and enforced disappearance.

It also demanded accountability for Israeli officials, and ensuring the right of families to recover the bodies of their deceased relatives inside the prisons.

This number of deceased prisoners, whose circumstances of death were documented by the Palestinian office, is part of a broader toll that the Palestinian Prisoners' Club said in November last year exceeded 100 within two years.

Israeli human rights organizations say that Israel continues to hide the real number of Palestinian prisoner deaths inside its prisons, while covering up the causes of death.

Coinciding with the start of the genocide war on Gaza on October 8, 2023, Israel escalated its violations against prisoners and the tightening on them inside prisons, while detaining dozens of Palestinians, especially from the Gaza Strip, without announcing it or mentioning details about detention places or health conditions.

Palestinian human rights institutions, including the Prisoners' Club, Al-Dameer Foundation, and the Prisoners' Affairs Commission, have previously stated that Israel escalated during 2025 campaigns of arrest and repressive measures in various areas of the West Bank.

These institutions documented about 7,000 arrest cases during the year, including 600 children and 200 women, while the number of arrest cases since October 8, 2023, reached about 21,000, including 1,655 children and 650 women, without counting detainees from Gaza and the occupied interior.