The Israeli occupation never stopped targeting Palestinian detainees in prisons. The genocidal war is an extension of long decades in which the occupation practiced systematic crimes, such as torture and medical crimes, that led to the martyrdom of hundreds of detainees over the years of occupation.
Since the beginning of the war, dozens of prisoners and detainees from all Palestinian areas have been martyred in the prisons and camps of the occupation. The issue of martyred detainees from Gaza has posed the greatest challenge for human rights organizations, in light of the crime of enforced disappearance committed against them and the occupation's refusal to disclose their identities or even the circumstances of their martyrdom.
Over the past period, prisoner support and human rights organizations have followed this case, which has been accompanied by horrific crimes, including torture, medical crimes, rape, and sexual assaults at various levels. These crimes were reflected in the testimonies of released prisoners and detainees, as well as those still held in the prisons and camps of the occupation.
Despite certain legal amendments made by the occupation,the prisoner support organizations have managed to uncover the fate of hundreds of Gaza detainees and conduct limited visits to some prisons and camps. However, hundreds of detainees remain subjected to enforced disappearance.
Based on the monitoring by the Palestinian prisoner support and human rights organizations, as well as human rights institutions in the occupied territories, we emphasize several important findings:
First: We affirm that, to this day, there is no clear data on the exact number of Gaza detainees among the total number of prisoners in the occupation’s prisons, apart from what was announced by the Israeli Prison Service at the beginning of October, which amounted to 1,618 individuals classified as "unlawful combatants." However, based on our monitoring, the number of Gaza detainees is estimated to be in the thousands.
Second: Regarding the number of martyrs, we clarify the following:
The total number of martyred prisoners and detainees in the Israeli occupation’s prisons and camps, whose identities are known, since the start of the war of genocide has reached (40). Among them, (14) are from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, (2) from the 1948 occupied territories, and (24)from Gaza. It is worth noting that the prisoner institutions had previously announced the names of (25) martyred prisoners from various regions, and today we are announcing (15) additional names of martyrs from Gaza. These were confirmed by responses from the occupation army, indicating that they were martyred in the prisons and camps, and their families were informed, with the exception of Dr. Iyad Al-Rantisi, whose martyrdom was reported by the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz. However, we have yet to receive a clear response from the occupation army regarding the circumstances of his martyrdom.
Third: We affirm that the reported figure of (24) martyrs among the Gaza detainees is not a definitive number of the martyrs within this group, as some sources from the occupation’s media and Israeli human rights organizations estimate the number to be in the dozens. However, we clarify that the information we have released pertains only to those whose names and details we have obtained, and for whom there was a response from the occupation army regarding the date of their arrest and martyrdom. This information has been confirmed by several human rights organizations, including The Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club, Addameer Prisoner Suport and Human Rights organization, the Addameer organization in Gaza, the Al-Mezan Center, the Israeli organization Hamoked, and the Israeli organization B’Tselem. Additional information came from other Palestinian sources that aligned with the testimonies of prisoners released later.
Fourth: We also affirm that the occupation army's response regarding the martyrdom of detainees from Gaza remains based on a foundation of doubt, as there is no evidence available to the organizations regarding their martyrdom, especially considering that the occupation continues to withhold their bodies. We note that some of the responses we received from the occupation army indicated that there is an ongoing investigation by the occupation. Through this, the occupation seeks to avoid any international accountability by claiming the existence of internal legal follow-up. However, experience has shown that these investigations are merely formalities and ineffective, as they do not lead to any form of accountability. Today, more than ever, the judicial system of the occupation confirms that it is merely a tool in the hands of the political level of the occupation and part of a process to entrench the crime.
Fifth: Despite the conclusion and conviction that experience has solidified regarding the formality of these investigations, we, as institutions, will continue the legal pursuit on behalf of the families of the martyrs whose identities are known. This is to assert their right to participate in the investigation into the circumstances of their martyrdom, which the occupation claims to have initiated in some cases. Once again, this approach is not aimed at expecting any form of "justice" from an occupation that has reached unprecedented levels of crimes. Rather, it is about affirming the family’s right to legal recourse and following up on the issue of demanding the return of their martyred child’s body. It is important to note that several ongoing cases are still in the deliberation stage.
Sixth: The total number of martyred prisoners and detainees whose identities are known since 1967 stands at (277) , after adding (15) martyrs, announced by prisoner institutions today.
Names of (24) martyrs from Gaza who died since the beginning of genocide war, among (40) martyrs who died in Israeli prisons and military camps:
1. Detainee Atta Yousif Hasan Fayyad, martyred in 15/10/2023
2. Detainee Majid Ahmad Salim Zaqqul, martyred on November 2023
3. Detainee Rajaa Ismail Hassan Sammour, martyred on November 2023
4. Detainee Iyad Ahmad Muhammad Rantisi, Haaretz announced his martyrdom in 18/6/2024
5. Detainee Hamdan Hassan Ennabah, martyred in 2/12/2023
6. Detainee Faraj Hussain Hassan Ali, martyred in 19/12/2023
7. Detainee Hussain Saber Abu Obaida, martyred in 29/1/2024
8. Detainee Ezz Aldeen Zeyad Banna, martyred on February 2024, in Ramlah Prison
9. Detainee Ali Abdullah Suliman Hawli, martyred in 5/2/2024
10. Detainee Arafat Yousef Arafat Khawaja, martyred in 15/2/2024
11. Detainee Ahmad Rezeq Ahmad Qdaih, martyred in 16/2/2024
12. Detainee Majed Hamdi Ibrahim Sawafiri, martyred in 8/3/2024
13. Detainee Ahmad Abed Murjan Aqqad, martyred in 9/3/2024
14. Detainee Dr. Zeyad Muhammad Saleh Dalu, martyred in 21/3/2024
15. Detainee Wafa Amin Muhammad Abdulhadi, martyred in 25/3/2024
16. Detainee (W. D) , his family did not to disclose his name for private reasons
17. Detainee Islam Hassan Saadi Sarsawi, martyred in 4/4/2024
18. Detainee Kamil Hussain Ahmad Radi, martyred in 25/3/2024
19. Detainee Fathi Muhammad Mahmoud Jadallah, martyred in 9/4/2024
20. Detainee Dr. Adnan Ahmad Ateya Borsh, martyred in 19/4/2024
21. Detainee Ismael Abdulbari Rajab Khader, the date of martyrdom is unknown, his body was delivered in 2/5/2024
22. Detainee Omar Abdulazeez Junaid, martyred in 17/6/2024
23. Detainee Nasr Salem Saed Zeyara, martyred in 17/8/2024 in Ramlah prison
24. Detainee ( A. Sh) , his family refused to disclose his name for private reasons