Since the start of 2025, twelve Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody—most due to torture, starvation, or medical neglect. Researcher Riyad Al-Ashqar warns of an alarming rise in what he describes as a systematic policy of slow execution within Israeli detention centres.

Among the dead is 17-year-old Walid Ahmed from Silwad, who died from starvation and untreated illness. Five others were civilians from Gaza, tortured to death after being arrested during ground invasions. None had links to armed groups.

Al-Ashqar reports that since October 2023, 66 prisoners have died—many subjected to brutal abuse, including electric shocks and exposure to freezing conditions. He accuses Israel’s far-right government of giving interrogators full impunity, with many new detention centres operating in secrecy and without oversight.

Dozens more detainees remain unaccounted for. Their names, burial sites, and final moments remain unknown. Al-Ashqar urges the international community to act, calling these deaths deliberate war crimes against defenceless prisoners.