A deepening human rights crisis is unfolding within Israeli detention facilities as another Palestinian prisoner, 26-year-old Sakhr Ahmad Khalil Zaoul from Bethlehem, has died in custody. Palestinian authorities reported his death on Sunday, marking the latest in a sharply escalating pattern of fatalities among detainees.
Zaoul had been placed under administrative detention—imprisonment without formal charges or trial—at the notorious Ofer prison in June. His family stated he was in perfect health at the time of his arrest. His death follows closely that of 21-year-old Abdul Rahman al-Sabateen, whose passing was confirmed just days earlier.
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society issued a joint statement condemning what they described as ‘systematic extermination’ of Palestinian prisoners, facilitated by explicit governmental endorsement. They detailed conditions ‘beyond all description,’ including torture, starvation, medical neglect, sexual abuse, and denial of basic rights.
These allegations are supported by harrowing firsthand accounts. Palestinian journalist Sami al-Saai, speaking at a meeting organized by the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA), disclosed that he was subjected to beatings, threats, and multiple sexual assaults during his detention in Megiddo prison from February to June 2024.
Human rights organizations have long documented systemic abuses in Israeli prisons, but reports indicate a severe intensification since October 2023. The controversial policy of administrative detention has been applied increasingly during this period, subjecting detainees to particularly harsh conditions and violent assaults.
Current estimates suggest at least 9,300 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, though actual numbers may be higher due to Israel withholding information on hundreds detained in Gaza. Palestinian groups report that at least 100 detainees have died under these conditions, with the true figure likely higher.
International condemnation is growing. Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has characterized the facilities as ‘torture camps,’ while Israel’s own Public Defender’s Office acknowledged earlier this month that conditions have deteriorated significantly, with prisoners enduring extreme hunger, overcrowding, and systematic violence.
The UN Committee Against Torture published a report last month expressing deep concern about what it described as ‘organized and widespread torture and ill-treatment’ in Israeli prisons, noting a grave intensification since October 2023 that suggests a ‘de facto state policy.’