At Least 98 Palestinian Detainees Have Perished in Israeli Custody Since October 2023, Official Figures Shows

Based on figures released by Israel, at least 98 Palestinians have died while in custody starting from October 2023. An advocacy organization located in Israel has reported that the real toll is almost certainly substantially higher, as a result of hundreds of unaccounted for people in Gaza.

Investigation Outcomes

A recent report recorded deaths resulting from brutality, failure to provide medical care, and starvation. Investigators employed freedom of information requests, autopsy findings, and testimonies with attorneys, advocates, next of kin, and observers.

Official sources disclosed comprehensive statistics only for the first eight months of the conflict. Over this period, government statistics indicate an unprecedented casualty rate among Palestinian detainees, amounting to one death every four days.

Latest Data

Israeli defense forces last updated information on custodial deaths for May 2024, and the prison service by September 2024. Investigators documented a further 35 deaths in confinement after these periods and validated them with Israeli authorities.

Despite the overall count of fatalities documented being significantly higher than previous assessments, it likely does not reflect the full scale of Palestinian loss, per the head of the prisoner monitoring division.

“While we are presenting proof for a higher number of casualties than earlier indicated, this is not a full picture,” he said. “We are certain that there are still individuals who perished in confinement that we are unaware of.”

Non-Combatant Fatalities

Confidential government records shows that the vast majority of Palestinian prisoners from Gaza who lost their lives in detention were ordinary citizens, based on a simultaneous examination.

In May of 2024, a defense forces registry monitoring all fighters in Gaza, a list of over 47,000 identified persons, listed only 21 fatalities in detention. By that date, 65 individuals from Palestine from Gaza had perished in detention.

Detention Conditions

Brutality, torture, and other abuse of detainees from Palestine has been normalised across Israel’s prison network throughout 24 months of war. Top government figures have openly admitted inadequate food and an below-ground detention center holding Palestinians who are kept in darkness.

Present and past prisoners and whistleblowers from the Israeli military have all alleged routine infractions of international law.

Organized Maltreatment

The organized mistreatment occurred alongside a disturbing rise in casualties recorded across no fewer than 12 prison sites in Israel. During the previous decade preceding the hostilities, there were typically two or three deaths a year.

“This is not merely an isolated incident occasionally. It is systemic and it is expected to endure,” a spokesperson stated, partially since there is a environment of near total impunity for fatalities and maltreatment of Palestinian individuals.

Just one case of assaulting inmates has proceeded to court, with the service member given a penalty to seven months. An attempt to charge other suspects over a severe beating involving sexual violence resulted in public rallies and the detention of Israel’s senior defense attorney, with the alleged perpetrators now insisting that indictments against them be dismissed.

Lack of Accountability

“In spite of this large quantity of fatalities, during 24 months not one individual has faced arrest,” the representative noted. “There are no indictments over any killing.

“During the time these practices are being applied, each Palestinian individual in custody is in danger, even the physically well individuals, also the youth who have no health problems.”

High-Profile Cases

Several casualties in confinement have been publicly known, for instance a 50-year-old medical chief who died in prison after four months in confinement.

A prisoner incarcerated with the deceased reported that he was brought to the courtyard by correctional officers just prior to his passing, visibly injured and naked from the hips downward. His remains remains unreleased to Gaza.

Other prisoners who died in detention in Israel remain anonymous. The prison service and armed services gave analysts with the total of deaths in confinement, and limited other details such as the location where they died, but without the inmates’ personal details.

Documentation Problems

For 21 instances, mainly detainees from Gaza, investigators were not able to correlate the few details provided by government bodies to a fatality registered by human rights groups, either through testimony from released detainees or reporting in the media.

The inmates’ next of kin could be unaware about their family members’ fatalities also, as Israel has made it difficult to locate detainees it is confining. During 210 days at the outset of the conflict, the armed services declined to provide fundamental details about the whereabouts of thousands of individuals confined in Gaza, effectively implementing a practice of involuntary missing persons, as stated by the advocacy organization.

Limited Transparency

Beginning last May, government bodies have established an digital correspondence for requests about detainees from Gaza, but this has resulted in merely a partial and limited improvement. Investigators noted|observed|commented on