4 Palestinian detainees died during Shin Bet interrogations: Israeli media

JERUSALEM

At least four Palestinian detainees died while being investigated by Israeli interrogators since the outbreak of the Gaza war last year, Israeli media said on Wednesday.

“Since the start of the war, at least four Palestinians have died during interrogations conducted by the Shin Bet security service,” Haaretz said.

“In at least one case, bruises were found on the detainee’s body,” it added.

According to the media outlet, in two cases, Israeli prosecutors found that there was no justification to open a criminal investigation against Shin Bet interrogators.

“The other two cases remain under review,” it added.

The dismissed cases included the death of Palestinian doctor Iyad al-Rantisi, who died six days after his detention in November last year.

Rantisi’s family was not officially informed of his death by Israeli authorities.

“The investigation into his death found that his body bore signs of bruising, raising suspicions of him being subjected to violence,” Haaretz said.

While medical reasons, including a heart attack, were given as the official cause of his death, the findings have fueled suspicions that the doctor’s injuries may have contributed to his demise.

The Shin Bet declined to disclose whether the other three deceased detainees were from Gaza or the West Bank or give details about the facilities where they died.

The Israeli army detained more than 12,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since Oct. 7 last year, according to Palestinian figures.

The figure does not include those arrested from the Gaza Strip whose numbers are estimated to be in the thousands.

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that has killed over 44,800 people, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 last year.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio