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Based on information released by Israel, a minimum of 98 Palestinians have lost their lives while in custody since October 2023. An advocacy organization based in Israel has stated that the actual figure is almost certainly considerably greater, as a result of many of disappeared individuals originating in Gaza.

Report Findings

An updated study documented fatalities caused by assault, failure to provide medical care, and inadequate nutrition. Analysts utilized freedom of information requests, autopsy findings, and testimonies with attorneys, advocates, family members, and observers.

Government bodies provided comprehensive statistics limited to the first eight months of the war. During this time, official figures reveal an unprecedented fatality rate among Palestinian prisoners, equating to one death every four days.

Latest Data

The military finalized records on deaths in detention for May 2024, and detention administration in September 2024. Researchers discovered an additional 35 fatalities in custody following these timeframes and verified them with official sources.

Although the total number of deaths recorded being significantly higher than previous assessments, it probably does not reflect the complete extent of Palestinian loss, per the head of the detainee affairs unit.

“While we are presenting proof for a higher number of casualties than earlier indicated, this is not the entire story,” he explained. “We are confident that there are still people who perished in custody that we have not identified.”

Non-Combatant Fatalities

Restricted official information shows that the vast majority of Palestinian prisoners from Gaza who lost their lives in prison were ordinary citizens, based on a related examination.

In May of 2024, a military intelligence database monitoring all militants in Gaza, a registry of over 47,000 named individuals, documented merely 21 casualties in detention. By that date, 65 Gazans from Gaza had died in detention.

Detention Conditions

Assault, mistreatment, and other abuse of Palestinians is now standard practice across Israel’s jail system over two years of conflict. High-ranking authorities have publicly acknowledged starvation rations and an underground jail detaining Palestinians who are kept in darkness.

Existing and previous detainees and whistleblowers from the armed services have uniformly asserted systemic violations of global standards.

Systemic Abuse

The systematic abuse occurred alongside a troubling surge in deaths registered across at least 12 civilian and military facilities in Israel. During the previous decade before the conflict, there were usually several deaths a year.

“This is not merely an isolated incident occasionally. It is widespread and it is likely to persist,” a spokesperson said, partially since there is a culture of almost complete immunity for killing and mistreating Palestinians.

Only a single instance of attacking prisoners has proceeded to court, with the soldier sentenced to 210 days. An effort to prosecute others over a severe beating featuring assault caused political demonstrations and the arrest of Israel’s senior defense attorney, with the alleged perpetrators now demanding that indictments against them be dismissed.

Lack of Accountability

“Despite this mass number of deaths, during 24 months not a single person has faced arrest,” the representative noted. “There exist no indictments over any death.

“As long as these policies remain in effect, each Palestinian individual in custody is at peril, also the healthy ones, including the youth who have no medical issues.”

Notable Incidents

Several casualties in custody have been publicly known, for instance a 50-year-old medical chief who died in detention after four months in custody.

A prisoner incarcerated with the victim reported that he was led to the courtyard by prison staff immediately preceding his death, clearly wounded and exposed from the waist down. His body has not been returned to Gaza.

Further inmates who died in Israeli custody remain anonymous. Correctional authorities and defense forces supplied researchers with the total of fatalities in custody, and basic further data including the facility where they lost their lives, but not the inmates’ personal details.

Documentation Problems

In 21 cases, primarily people from Gaza, analysts were not able to match the few details provided by officials to a fatality registered by rights organisations, either through statements from freed prisoners or coverage in the news outlets.

The inmates’ next of kin could be unaware about their loved ones’ deaths also, as Israel has created obstacles to track detainees it is holding. Over half a year at the beginning of the war, the Israeli military would not provide to provide basic information about the status of many of people detained in Gaza, practically implementing a practice of forced disappearance, per the human rights group.

Limited Transparency

Starting in May 2024, officials have established an electronic contact for enquiries about detainees from Gaza, but this has provided only a partial and limited betterment. Investigators noted|observed|commented on