Palestinian Prisoner Dies in Israeli Custody Amid Health Deterioration

A 22-year-old Palestinian detainee has died while in Israeli custody, marking another fatality among Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli detention facilities. Ahmed Khdeirat from ad-Dhahiriya in the southern West Bank's Hebron district passed away at Israel's Soroka Medical Center following a period of declining health, according to joint statements from Palestinian prisoner advocacy organizations.

The Commission of Detainees Affairs and Palestinian Prisoners Society had previously warned in August about Khdeirat's seriously deteriorating health condition. The young detainee, held under administrative detention since May 2024, suffered from chronic diabetes and a skin disease that contributed to his weight dropping to approximately 40 kilograms while imprisoned at Israel's Negev detention facility.

Khdeirat had been detained under Israel's administrative detention system, which permits imprisonment without formal charges or trial for renewable six-month periods based on undisclosed security allegations. The controversial practice allows Israeli intelligence services to present "secret files" to military courts that remain inaccessible to both detainees and their legal representatives, preventing proper defense preparation.

Hamas has confirmed that Khdeirat's death raises the total number of Palestinian prisoner fatalities since October 2023 to 78 individuals. A recent report from multiple prisoner rights organizations documented 77 detainee deaths since the Gaza conflict began two years ago, including 46 prisoners from Gaza and numerous field executions. During this period, Israeli forces have arrested over 20,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 1,600 children and 595 women.