Ali Ashour Al-Batsh, 62, a father of five from Gaza’s Jabalia camp, died in an Israeli prison on February 21 after months of medical neglect and abuse. His life, marked by resilience, began and ended under occupation.  

A former police officer, Ali was first imprisoned during the First Intifada in 1987. Decades later, after losing his home in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, he was arrested again in December 2023. Already suffering from blood clots and other health issues, Ali’s condition worsened in prison. Fellow inmates described him as frail, unable to move or speak clearly, and plagued by skin diseases and strokes.  

His brother, Zakaria, recalls Ali’s kindness and devotion to his family, including a daughter with special needs. “We hoped he’d return home, even to war-torn Gaza,” Zakaria said. But Israeli prison policies of neglect and torture prevailed.  

Ali’s death highlights the systematic abuse faced by Palestinian prisoners. His memory, like his spirit, remains unbroken. As Zakaria mourns, “People leave, but the house mourns its inhabitants.”