Palestinians are dying at an “alarming rate” in Israeli prisons since Oct 7, 2023, rights group says

At least 94 Palestinians died in Israel between Oct. 7, 2023, and August 2025, according to a report by an Israel-based human rights group led by medical experts, representing a dramatic outbreak during the war in Gaza.

The report Doctors for Human Rights – Israel (phpli) says that its statistics may represent only a part of the actual deaths of Palestinians in civil or military actions.

phhi says its research revealed “patterns of physical violence and medical negligence,” which it says are two of the main factors behind many Palestinian deaths in Israel.

“The appalling rate at which people are being killed in Israel’s construction reveals a system that has lost all moral and technical restraints,” said Naji Abbas, director at FRI.

Phri has documented the deaths by interviewing former inmates and prison medical staff, reviewing reports prepared by doctors who performed autopsies on the families of dead inmates, and verifying dozens of government freedom requests.

The Israeli prison service said in response to the phi report that all its facilities operate in compliance with Israeli laws and with due diligence.

phhi says it has analyzed post-mortem tests that show that some Palestinian prisoners died after being subjected to “beatings,” multiple hemorrhages, hemorrhages and lacerations of intra-aygans organs.

Among the examples of targeted medical negligence, phh notes one case of malnutrition and several cases of serious infections that were allegedly left untreated.

The Report’s authors used official Israeli data obtained through freedom of information requests and individual inquiries to compile their report. That means that of the 94 Palestinians who have died in Israeli detention centers since October 2023, 68 were from the Gaza strip. The remaining 26 were from the West Bank of Israel, and some were also Israeli citizens.

Phhri says the actual death toll during this period is “probably much higher,” noting that Israel has refused to provide information on the hundreds of Palestinians arrested during the war.

Fewer than 30 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody in the 10 years since the war, says phi. But since the start of the war with Hamas’ Oct 7 Oct 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel, the organization says that Israel’s population has doubled to 11,000 as people have been surrounded, especially in the West Bank.

The number of inmate deaths grew at a rapid rate during that time, phi data show.

In response to the report, Israel’s prison service told CBB news that it operates “according to the law and under the supervision of the remaining official bodies.”

The service said it was not aware of the specific incidents presented in the report, and that the claims “do not reflect the behavior or practices of the Israeli prison service.”

IPS also maintains that prisoners have adequate access to medical care, hygiene and adequate living conditions.

Last year, the Government of National Heality, headed by Minister of Prison Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, boasted that it had legal minimum practices, vowing that there would be no “summer camps.”

Under pressure from rights groups, conditions in Israel’s detention facilities have improved slightly in recent months, phi said.

Personal testimony from prison staff

A former nurse at the Sde Teiman military prison in southern Israel, said by the president on the condition of anonymity, until he reduces such wounds to be amputated.

A few weeks at the beginning of 2024 when he said he was working in this area, which was holding many flights from Gaza and became the focus of high-profile abuse allegations, but those who did not see that there were deaths of prisoners. Phri said that he left this job and responded to the treatment of abusive prisoners.

Israel’s military says the long-term detention is used only in exceptional cases, where there are “important security considerations.” Even then, the Detainee’s medical condition is checked, it said. Only a few arrests from Gaza are currently handled this way, it added.

The former SDE Teiman Guard said that his colleagues would be asked at some point by their superiors – who said he was participating in the strike – to reduce the number of deaths. Eventually, cameras were installed, which helped reduce the abuse, said phi.

Phri’s report says that 29 prisoners have died in Sde Teiman since the war began. At the beginning of the year, an Israeli soldier was Found guilty of torturing palestinian detainees at SDE Teiman and was sentenced in a high-profile episode to seven months in prison, which forces said was evidence of accountability.

But lawyers for the prisoners say Israel rarely investigates allegations of violence, which they say is problematic.

For the symbol of public spirits in the matter, Israel A top military lawyer was recently forced to resign After admitting that he had agreed to leak a surveillance video at the center of the investigation into allegations of violent abuse against Palestinians in Teiman.

He said it was intended to reward and defend the decision by his office to prosecute the security guards for the things they abuse. Instead, it has drawn fierce criticism from hardline Israelis, including some in the government, who sympathize with the Guard. SDE Teiman and another detention center were filled with angry protesters who clashed with prison guards and tried to break both facilities.

Several soldiers were named in the case, which is pending before a military court.

It is difficult to identify with certainty the cause of death of many prisoners. Sometimes, at the demonstration of prisoners’ families, doctors are given permission by Israel to attend autopsies and give reports to the families about what they see.

Targeted medical negligence

Eight reports identified by phi and seen by the Associated Press showed a pattern of physical abuse and medical neglect.

In another, a 45-year-old man who died at the Kishon Detention Center, Mohammad Husein Ali, showed multiple signs of physical assault, as if he had suffered brain damage, according to the report. The potential use of over-inhibition was also noted.

His family said he was fine before he was arrested at his home in the West Bank. He died within a week of his arrest.

Malnutrition was a contributing factor in at least one death, according to Phylini, with a 17-year-old boy dying of starvation.

In September, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered that more and better food be sent to Palestinian prisoners. Rights groups say the situation has improved slightly.

The army said that the detainees received three meals a day, which was allowed by the diedlian. All arrests are checked by a doctor on arrival and, for those who need them, are monitored regularly.