Palestinian detainee dies in Ramon prison, southern Israel

RAMALLAH, Palestine

A Palestinian detainee died in Ramon Prison, southern Israel, prisoners’ affairs groups announced on Monday.

Citing the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority, which liaises with Israeli authorities, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society, in a joint statement, identified the detainee as Motaz Abu Zanid, 35.

It explained that Abu Zanid, who was held under administrative detention without charge, died at the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, southern Israel.

According to the statement, Abu Zanid was from the town of Dura, south of Hebron in the southern West Bank.

The statement accused Israeli authorities of committing a “new crime” in the prisons, noting that Abu Zanid was detained on June 27, 2023, and "had no prior health issues before his arrest."

Witness testimonies indicated that Abu Zanid was held in Ramon Prison and that his health suddenly and critically deteriorated.

"The prison administration deliberately delayed transferring him to the hospital and subjected him to systematic medical negligence until he fell into a coma and was transferred to Soroka Hospital on Jan. 6,” the statement added.

With the death of Abu Zanid, the fifth administrative detainee to die in Israeli prisons since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023, the total number of identified deaths among prisoners and detainees rose to 55, according to the statement.

It noted that this figure marks "the highest in history during the bloodiest phase of the prisoners' movement since 1967."

The total number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons is estimated at around 10,400, according to data from the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society.

* Writing by Rania Abu Shamala.