Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli detention days before release
A Palestinian prisoner who was due to be released in three days has died in Israeli custody on the night of April 16th, as reported by the Middle East Eye via the Wafa news agency.
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, as well as the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, announced the death in a joint statement.
Musab Hassan Adili, aged 20, died at Soroka Medical Center in Israel. Adili was a resident of Osarin village, located south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. He had been in detention since March 22nd last year, serving a sentence of one year and one month in jail.
A number of reports have shed light on the conditions facing detainees under Israeli detention. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor via Haaretz said on March 9th 2024, that 27 Gaza Strip detainees had died during interrogation.
The monitor said the detainees faced torture and maltreatment beforehand. It also highlighted that authorities had used facilities such as the Sde Teiman military camp to torture detainees.
The monitor also said detainees in Israeli camps included minors and elderly individuals, who would be blindfolded. The monitor said that such detainees were not allowed any legal representation or to see the International Committee of the Red Cross.
In a separate case, Israeli authorities released prisoner Nael Barghouti after he spent 45 years in custody, as reported by the Middle East Eye on February 27th. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society had said that Barghouti’s health had deteriorated in detention, following his transfer to Gilboa Prison.
Current ceasefire negotiations have also included the issue of prisoner releases. On February 23rd, Israel announced it was delaying the release of over 600 Palestinian detainees, as reported by the BBC. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres commented on the situation, urging for the “dignified release of all remaining hostages” and stressing the need to avoid renewed hostilities.
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, Middle East Eye via Wafa news agency, BBC
