5 Palestinians died in Israel’s prisons since 7 October

Five Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons since 7 October, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees said yesterday.

In a statement, the organisation announced the death of Abdelrahman Ahmad Muhammad Mar’ie, 33, from the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan in Salfit Governorate in Megiddo Prison on Monday.

According to the statement, Mar’ie was arrested in February. He is married and a father of four children.

The statement described his death as a “premeditated assassination”, explaining that the Israeli occupation not only assassinated him, but refused to reveal his identity since Monday, and according to his lawyer, the Israeli authorities will perform an autopsy on his body today.

The commission explained that Mar’ie is the fifth Palestinian to die in the Israeli occupation’s prisons since 7 October, including a Palestinian victim from Gaza whose identity is unknown.

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On Monday, the Israeli Prisons Authority (IPA) announced the death of a Palestinian prisoner in Megiddo Prison, claiming that it would review the circumstances of his death. The IPA said the prisoner was born in 1990, was a resident of the northern West Bank and was imprisoned in February 2023. It did not reveal his name or identity. According to the prison’s claim, he felt unwell and went to the prison clinic to undergo medical tests, but died at the medical centre.

On 23 October, the Prison Service announced the death of Omar Daraghmeh, 58, and less than 24 hours later, Arafat Hamdan was pronounced dead.

On 6 November, Israel announced the death of Majed Ahmed Zaqoul, 32, from the Gaza Strip, as well as another prisoner from the Gaza Strip whose identity has not yet been revealed.

The Israeli authorities have escalated the repression of Palestinian prisoners since the start of the war on Gaza on 7 October.