Gaza paramedic dies in Israeli custody after more than a year detained
A 59-year-old Palestinian ambulance officer from Gaza has died inside Israel's Negev Prison, more than 13 months after his arrest. Rights groups say his death brings the known toll of detainees who have perished in Israeli custody since October 2023 to at least 87.
A Palestinian paramedic from the Gaza Strip has died while imprisoned in Israel, more than a year after his detention from a hospital in the besieged enclave. Hatem Ismail Rayan, 59, was being held in Negev Prison when he died, according to a joint statement by Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups on Thursday.
Arrested from Kamal Adwan Hospital
Rayan was detained on December 27, 2024, from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. His son Moaz, who was wounded during the same incident, remains in Israeli custody. The Palestinian Prisoner Society and the Palestinian Commission of Detainees Affairs confirmed Rayan's death through the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority, the official liaison with Israel.
Systematic abuse and mounting deaths
The two organizations reported that at least 87 identified Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons since October 2023, with the actual number believed to exceed 100. Dozens more remain disappeared. The groups cited torture, starvation, sexual abuse, denial of medical care, and systematic deprivation of basic rights as causes. They also documented dozens of field executions. Since 1967, the total number of known Palestinian prisoner deaths in Israeli custody has reached 324, with Israel still holding the bodies of 95 identified deceased detainees—84 of whom died after the Gaza war began.
Post-ceasefire toll
According to Palestinian prisoner groups, more than 9,300 Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons as of early February, including approximately 350 children. A ceasefire agreement reached on Oct. 10, 2026, ended two years of devastating warfare that Palestinian authorities say killed over 72,000 people, wounded more than 171,000, and destroyed 90 percent of civilian infrastructure. The UN estimates Gaza's reconstruction will require approximately $70 billion. Despite the ceasefire, Gaza's Health Ministry reports at least 591 Palestinians have been killed and over 1,578 injured in continued Israeli attacks.
Advertisement
Comments you share on our site are a valuable resource for other users. Please be respectful of different opinions and other users. Avoid using rude, aggressive, derogatory, or discriminatory language.