Several Gazan prisoners died inside Israeli detention camp: Report

JERUSALEM

Several Palestinians held by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip died inside a detention center in southern Israel, according to Israeli media on Monday.

Haaretz newspaper said hundreds of Palestinian detainees were held inside a detention center in Beersheba for several weeks.

“Many of them died inside the center,” the daily said, without specifying their number.

The circumstances of their death remain unclear and an investigation has been launched.

According to Haaretz, the detainees were held in fenced compounds, blindfolded and handcuffed for most of the day.

The Israeli army classifies the detainees as “terrorists,” the newspaper said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli authorities on the report.

Israel's air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas have killed more than 18,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The war has left Gaza in ruins with half of the coastal territory's housing stock damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while more than 130 hostages remain in captivity.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio