Another Palestinian Detainee from Gaza Dies in Israeli Detention, Says Prisoner Advocacy Groups
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- A Palestinian detainee from Gaza, who was abducted by Israeli forces at the start of Israel’s assault on the enclave along with his brother and sustained injuries during arrest, has died in Israeli detention.
According to the Palestinian Detainees’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, the Israeli occupation authorities released no information about 34-year-old Ra’fat Adnan Abu Fannouna during his detention and did not allow him any visits.
He was believed to have been held at Ayalon Prison in Ramla before being transferred to the Shamir Medical Centre, also known as Assaf Harofeh Centre, where he was announced dead on Wednesday.
The groups said he did not suffer from any health problems before his arrest, adding that he leaves behind a wife and a child.
On Monday, another Palestinian detainee from Gaza, Musab Haniyah, also died in an Israeli prison. Haniyah was kidnapped on March 3, 2024, from Hamad City in Gaza. His family confirmed that he had no prior health issues before his detention. He was married and had a nine-year-old son. Israeli authorities informed Palestinian officials that he ‘died’ on January 5, 2025.
Israel’s Torture of Palestinians
Israeli authorities have been accused of torturing Palestinian detainees. This includes being handcuffed and shackled 24 hours a day, seven days a week – even while sleeping, eating, and using the restroom. Testimonies also describe regular beatings by guards, extreme overcrowding, humiliation, and inadequate hygiene.
In August 2024, the Israeli rights group B’Tselem accused Israeli occupation authorities of systematically abusing Palestinians in “torture camps”, subjecting them to severe violence and sexual assault.
Its report, titled “Welcome to Hell”, is based on 55 testimonies from former detainees from the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and citizens of Israel. The overwhelming majority of these detainees were held without trial.
Torture was recorded in Israeli detention facilities, resulting in the deaths of at least 60 known detainees since 7 October 2023.
Among them are at least 39 detainees from Gaza, the highest number in history, making this the “bloodiest stage in the history of the prisoner movement,” according to the Palestinian Detainees’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.
