Haifa: Israeli authorities on Sunday informed the family of Palestinian prisoner Imad Rajeh Sarhan, 47, from the city of Haifa, that he died in Gilboa prison following a heart attack on Saturday. The authorities have not provided further details regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency, Sarhan had been detained since October 15, 2001, and was serving a life sentence. The Palestinian Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that Sarhan endured prolonged interrogation and systematic torture during the early years of his imprisonment. These experiences resulted in serious and lasting health complications, which worsened over time, including frequent solitary confinement.
The institutions noted that Sarhan suffered from chronic heart and vascular diseases and high blood pressure. In recent years, his health had deteriorated to the extent that he required a wheelchair. Despite his severe health issues, Sarhan was still held in harsh conditions. They emphasized that Sarhan was one of the many victims of medical neglect and systematic abuse faced by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, especially during an escalation of harsh prison policies amid ongoing conflict.
The death of Sarhan adds to the growing number of Palestinian prisoners who have died in Israeli prisons since October 7, 2023, with the current tally standing at 90. Since 1967, a total of 327 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody. The Palestinian Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society held Israeli authorities fully responsible for Sarhan's death. They urged international legal and human rights organizations to take concrete actions towards accountability and to end the prevailing impunity.
The institutions further highlighted that conditions in Israeli prisons have reached an unprecedented level of severity and danger in the history of the Palestinian prisoner movement, with reports of systematic abuse, deprivation, and medical neglect. Currently, more than 9,400 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, including 3,324 administrative detainees held without charges or trial, and 1,316 classified as 'unlawful combatants.'