The revelation that an elderly Palestinian man was tortured to death in an Israeli prison has sparked new controversy and condemnation.
By: Alireza Akbari
On Thursday, it was revealed that Ahmed Abdul Marjan Al-Aqqad, 78, had been tortured to death in an Israeli prison, the fifth Palestinian to suffer such a fate in less than a week.
Tragically, there was no one to mourn him. All of his family members, including all of the children, have already been killed in Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The septuagenarian was abducted by Israeli regime forces from his home in the Qarara area, east of the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, in March 2024 without any charge.
Recent data from Palestinian prisoners’ rights institutions reveals that more than 9,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, of whom more than 70 have been tortured to death in prisons.
The increasing number of Palestinians detained and tortured to death, along with the prolonged detention of Palestinians, the outbreak of infectious diseases among prisoners and the ban on legal visits, are examples of the catastrophic situation in Israeli prisons.
Three days before Al-Aqqad’s death, Hussein Saber Abu Obeida was tortured to death by Israeli soldiers. Abu Obeida, a resident of the Al-Qatatwa camp in Khan Yunis, was the fourth Palestinian victim of brutal Israeli torture in the past week.
The photo of Abu Obeida, with a wide smile on his face, became a haunting symbol on social media, causing many to wonder how many more Palestinians, like Abu Obeida, have been tortured to death, and how many more might follow.
“Why have we not heard any condemnation of Israel’s execution of around 70 Palestinian hostages in its prisons in recent months?” asked Ramy Abdu, director of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med), in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Before Abu Obeida, Ayman Rayeh Abed, 58, was also tortured to death in an Israeli prison, with clear signs of abuse and torture on his body.
“There were signs of beatings and torture on his body,” the director of Jenin Government Hospital confirmed, pointing to “visible handcuff marks on his hands.”
Although Israeli authorities claimed Abed died of a “heart attack,” his family insisted he had no pre-existing health problems. Abed was detained in Kafr Dan, Jenin, in the occupied West Bank.
Arafat al-Jawaya, a Palestinian from al-Shati camp in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, was the third Palestinian detainee to succumb to Israeli torture in the past week.
Al-Khawaya’s family announced on Sunday that he had died as a result of torture at Israel’s notorious Sde Teiman detention center.
Al-Khawaya’s killing while in prison brought to 262 the total number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli jails since 1967, according to the Palestinian Information Center.
The real number, according to activists, is much higher.
Just a day before Al-Jwaya was killed, the family of Nasr Aal-Din Ziyara, 65, from Gaza City, mourned his death, which was caused by abuse and torture in Ramlah prison.
The total number of Palestinians killed in Israeli jails since October 7 who have been identified has now reached 28, according to some Palestinian rights groups.
However, Euro-Med claims that the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli prisons is more than 70.
Torture in Israeli prisons and detention centers has been widespread and systematic, including rape, sexual assault, beatings, sleep deprivation and starvation, according to several reports.
A recent poll by the Israel Institute for National Security Studies found that 65 percent of Israeli settlers support the right to sexually assault Palestinian prisoners.
Palestinians who spent years in Israeli prisons have also spoken about the lasting psychological and physical effects of the torture they suffered.
“The physical pain will eventually pass, but the wounds of the soul are indelible,” said Amer Abu Hlel, 30, who was released from an Israeli prison on April 15.
Following the killing of Nasr al-Din Ziyara on Saturday, the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs (CDA) and the Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) issued a joint statement saying that Ziyara was “one of dozens” of Gaza prisoners who died due to “systematic torture.”
“He had burns on his lower body and was unable to walk,” the statement said, citing eyewitness accounts from Al-Ramla prison.
Below is a list of Palestinians tortured to death in Israeli prisons since October 2023. These are the ones who have been identified. Many more remain unidentified.
⚠️Shocking video shows Israeli soldiers “sexually assaulting” a Gaza prisoner🇵🇸
🔺Leaked footage from Israel’s Channel 12 shows Israeli forces sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Israel Detention Center. #SdeTeiman #IsraeliCrimes pic.twitter.com/da3O7aKuRb
— HispanTV (@Nexo_Latino) August 9, 2024
Ahmed Abdul Marjan Al-Aqqad (72)
Ahmed Abdul Marjan Al-Aqqad
Ahmed Abdul Marjan Al-Aqqad was killed in an Israeli prison months after being abducted from his home in Qarara, east of the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Hussein Saber Abu Obeida (23)
Hussein Saber Abu Obeida
Abu Obeida was tortured and mistreated in an Israeli prison, which eventually led to his murder while in custody. He belonged to the Al-Qatatwa camp in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Ayman Rayeh Abed (58)
Ayman Rayeh Abed
Rayeh Abed was taken hostage by the Israeli army in her home in Kafr Dan in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and beaten, tortured and eventually executed. Human rights groups said “visible handcuff marks were found on her hands and obvious signs of beatings and torture were found on her body.”
Arafat al-Jawajya (22)
Arafat al-Jawajya
Arafat al-Jawajya was tortured to death in the Israeli regime’s Sde Teman concentration camp. His family said the Red Cross informed them that he was tortured to death in February.
Nasr al-Din Ziyara (64)
Nasr al-Din Ziyara
Nasr al-Din Ziyara, from Gaza City, was killed by Israeli forces in Ramlah prison.
Zahir Tahsin Raddad (19)
Zahir Tahsin Raddad
Zahir Tahsin Raddad from the Saida neighbourhood in Tulkarm, occupied West Bank, was shot and used as a human shield by Israeli forces on 25 August.
Kifah Dabaya (34)
Kifah Dabaya
Kifat Dabaya, from Kafr Dan, Jenin, occupied West Bank, died from injuries sustained as a result of torture inflicted on him by Israeli soldiers while in their custody in August.
Omar Abdulaziz Yunaid (26)
Omar Abdulaziz Yunaid, from the town of Jabalia, north of Gaza City, died from his injuries on 1 August after being severely tortured during interrogation in Israeli custody.
Islam al-Sarsawi (42)
Islam al-Sarsawi (42), from the town of Al-Shujaiya, Gaza, was tortured to death in Israel’s Sde Teiman prison. His murder while in custody was confirmed on 2 August.
Mustafa Abu Ora (63)
Mustafa Abu Ora
Mustafa Abu Ora, a senior Hamas leader from Aqaba, Tubas, in the occupied West Bank, died after prolonged medical neglect in Israeli prisons.
Ismail Abdelbari Jader (33)
Ismail Abdelbari Jader died in Israeli custody and his body was handed over to his family on 2 May. His killing in custody was described as part of “systematic attacks” against Gaza health workers.
Dr. Adnan Ahmed al-Barsh (50)
Adnan Ahmed al-Barsh
Adnan Ahmed al-Barsh, head of the orthopedics department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, was tortured to death in Israeli custody on April 19.
Abdul Rahim Amer (59)
Abdul Rahim Amer
Abdul Rahim Amer, a Palestinian from Qalqilya, a town in the occupied West Bank, was tortured to death in Hadarim prison on 13 April.
Walid Daqqah (63)
Walid Daqqah
Walid Daqqah, a Palestinian writer from Baqa al-Qarbiya, occupied Palestinian territories, died on April 7 due to medical negligence in Israeli custody.
Juma Abu Ghneimeh (26)
Friday Abu Ghneimeh
Juma Abu Ghneimeh, a Palestinian from Bir al-Sabi, Al-Naqb (Negev), Occupied Palestinian Territories, was found unconscious in Israeli custody on 16 March and was eventually declared dead.
Ahmed Rizq Qudeih (78)
Ahmed Rizq Qudeih
Ahmed Rizq Qudeih from Khuza’a, Khan Yunis city, southern Gaza Strip, was tortured to death on March 2 in an Israeli detention camp.
Asif Abdul Mua’ti Muhammad al-Rifai (22)
Asif Abdul Mua’ti Muhammad Al-Rifai
Asif Abdul Mua’ti Muhammad al-Rifai, a 22-year-old from Kafr Ain, Ramallah, occupied West Bank, succumbed to his injuries on 29 February due to medical negligence in Israeli custody.
Ezzedin Ziad Abdul Banna (40)
Ezzedin Ziad Abdul Banna
Ezzedin Ziad Abdul Banna, a Palestinian from Al-Sabra, Gaza City, was tortured to death in an Israeli prison on February 23.
Jaled Shaweesh (53)
Jaled Shaweesh
Khaled Shaweesh, imprisoned since 2007 in Al-Fara’a camp in Tubas, occupied West Bank, was tortured to death in Nafha prison on 21 February.
Mohammed Tariq Abu Sneineh (16)
Mohammed Tariq Abu Sneineh
Mohammed Tariq Abu Sneineh of Al-Eizariya, Abu Sneineh, was shot by Israeli forces and succumbed to his injuries at Hadassah Hospital on February 18, while still in detention.
Mohammed Ahmed Rateb al-Sabbar (21)
Mohammed Ahmed Rateb al-Sabbar
Mohammed Ahmed Rateb al-Sabbar from Al-Thahiriya, Al-Khalil, occupied West Bank, was tortured to death in Ofer Prison on 8 February due to deliberate medical negligence.
Abdulrahman Al-Bahsh (23)
Abdulrahman Al-Bahsh
Abdulrahman Al-Bahsh from the occupied West Bank city of Nablus was tortured to death in Megiddo prison on 1 January, after languishing in prison since 31 May 2022.
Thaer Samih Abu Asab (38)
abu asab thaer samih
Thaer Samih Abu Asab from Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank was tortured to death in the Naqab desert prison on 18 November.
Abdulrahman Ahmad Mohammed Mer’i (33)
Abdulrahman Ahmad Mohammed Mer’i
Abdulrahman Ahmad Mohammed Mer’i, from Qarawat Bani Hassan, Salfit, was subjected to premeditated murder in Megiddo prison on 13 November.
Mayed Ahmed Zaqoul (32)
Mayed Ahmed Zaqoul
Mayed Ahmed Zaqoul, a Gaza-based worker, was tortured to death in Ofer prison on 6 November, becoming the 240th Palestinian prisoner to die in Israeli custody since 1967.
Arafat Hamdan (25)
Arafat Hamdan
Arafat Hamdan, a Palestinian from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, was tortured to death in Ofer prison on 24 October. The Prisoners Affairs Commission and the Prisoners Club described his death as part of a “systematic murder” of Palestinian prisoners.
Sheikh Omar Daraqmeh (58)
Sheij Omar Daraqmeh
Sheikh Omar Daraqmeh, a Hamas leader from Tubas in the occupied West Bank, was tortured to death in Megiddo prison on 23 October, amid a surge in arrests and abuse of prisoners by Israeli authorities.
Text taken from an article published in PressTV.
