RAMALLAH: The Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) affirmed that 26-year-old Palestinian detainee Omar Junaid, from the Gaza Strip, died on July 17th as a result of the physical abuse and torture he was subjected to in Israeli jail.

The detainee’s family received a phone call from HaMoked, an Israel-based human rights organization, informing them that their son had died in Israeli custody on July 17.

Junaid was detained on December 23, 2023, along with his brother, Yasser, who was released after four months.

According to the family, Junaid, who was preparing for his wedding at the time of his detention, did not suffer from any health problems before his detention.

Junaid is one of the dozens of Gaza detainees who died in Israeli jails and detention camps, particularly Sde Teiman detention camp, as a result of severe torture.

According to a statement issued by PPS and the Commission, the death of Junaid brings the total number of detainees who have die
d in Israeli custody since 1967 to 258. This number includes 21 detainees who have died in Israeli custody since the start of the aggression on October 7, 2023.

The statement confirmed that the occupation continues to commit the crime of enforced disappearance against the majority of Gaza detainees. Israel refuses to reveal information about thousands of Gaza detainees.

The Israeli Prison Administration said that 1584 detainees from Gaza were classified by Israel as ‘unlawful combatants’. This number does not include all Gaza detainees.

Many testimonies, which came following limited lawyers’ visits to several Gaza detainees, revealed being subjected to brutal maltreatment, including torture, rape, starvation and medical crimes, along with other human rights violations.

PPS and the Commission renewed their demand to open an impartial international investigation into the crimes and grave violations committed against Palestinian detainees in the occupation’s prisons and camps.

The number of Palestinians det
ained since the start of the aggression and until the beginning of August amounted to about 9,900. This figure does not include all detainees from Gaza, specifically those held in the occupation army’s camps.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA