Fifty-four Palestinian detainees and prisoners, whose identities are known, have died in Israeli occupation prisons since October 7, 2023, two Palestinian organizations concerned with detainees affairs announced on Tuesday.
In a joint statement, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) highlighted those 54 prisoners and detainees, whose identities are known, have died since the start of the ongoing Israeli genocide, including 35 from the Gaza Strip.
Israeli occupation authorities continue to conceal the deaths of dozens of detainees from Gaza, the two organizations emphasized on the occasion of Palestinian Martyr’s Day, observed annually on January 7.
The statement also revealed that “Israel” is withholding the bodies of 63 prisoners who died in custody, including 52 since the start of the genocide, while dozens of detainees from Gaza remain subjected to enforced disappearance.
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the PPS highlighted those 291 prisoners and detainees, whose identities are known, have died since 1967, pointing out that some detainees were killed as a result of “extrajudicial executions”, with their identities undisclosed.
‘Israel’ releases 20 Gaza detainees following reports of torture
Last week, the Israeli occupation released 20 Palestinian detainees through the Karem Abu Salem crossing, located in the far southeast of the Gaza Strip.
The 20 had been detained during an Israeli incursion in northern Gaza that began on October 5.
A Palestinian security source confirmed to Anadolu Agency that the freed detainees were transported to the European Gaza Hospital, east of Khan Younis, for medical evaluations.
“20 Palestinians arrived at the hospital after being released by the Israeli army at the Karem Abu Salem crossing,” the source stated.
The released individuals reported experiencing torture while in Israeli custody.
Source: Al Mayadeen