Ramallah: Palestinian detainee Mahmoud Talal Abdullah, from Jenin refugee camp, has died in Israeli custody, igniting concerns over the treatment and conditions of Palestinian detainees. The Civil Affairs Commission reported his death at Israel's Assaf Harofeh Hospital, as informed to the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS).
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Abdullah, aged 49, was detained by Israeli forces on February 1 of this year. His health deteriorated significantly during his detention, and he was diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer. Despite medical examinations and his dire condition, Israeli authorities refused to release him, resulting in his death shortly after being transferred to the hospital.
Abdullah was a former prisoner, having spent two years in Israeli jails during the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2002. Before his latest detention, he was receiving treatment for existing health issues, but his arrest interrupted his medical care. The Commission and PPS have condemned Abdullah's death, labeling it part of a series of crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian detainees, describing these acts as crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Commission and PPS highlighted that Abdullah's death is part of a broader pattern, with 79 prisoners and detainees having died since the beginning of Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023. They also noted that this period is the deadliest in the history of the Palestinian prisoner movement since 1967, with the total number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli prisons since then reaching 316.
The organizations emphasized the ongoing policy of slow killing within Israeli prisons, citing daily violations and abuses that detainees endure, including torture, medical neglect, and deprivation of basic necessities. They also pointed out the existence of field executions and the return of bodies post-ceasefire as evidence of the crimes committed against prisoners.
The Commission and PPS hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for Abdullah's death and have called on the international human rights community to take action against Israeli officials for these ongoing war crimes. They demanded sanctions to isolate Israel and restore the integrity of the international human rights system, urging an end to the immunity granted to Israel by colonial powers, which has allowed it to evade accountability.
