“Israel” Continues Slow Assassination of Palestinian Detainees
By Staff, Agencies
Since October 7, 2023, 66 Palestinian detainees have martyred in “Israeli” custody, with the latest being 60-year-old Muhyiddin Najm from Jenin. Najm, who passed away at Soroka Hospital, had been detained since August 2023.
He had spent a total of 19 years in “Israeli” prisons and was a father of six. He reportedly martyred as a result of medical negligence, having been denied all forms of treatment despite suffering from chronic health conditions.
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club stated that Najm’s martyrdom reveals a compounded crime. They noted that he had spent over two years in administrative detention without charges and was left to deteriorate physically without medical care.
They added that many detainees are now victims of a slow execution, warning that the death toll will likely rise as prison conditions worsen.
Likewise, they also accused “Israeli” forces of torture, starvation, sexual abuse, and deliberately exposing detainees to contagious diseases like scabies by blocking hygiene access.
Under tight censorship by “Israeli” prison authorities—including bans on family visits, lawyers, and Red Cross access—testimonies have revealed torture, deliberate killings of Gazan detainees, and widespread abuse, all of which Palestinians now call “Israel’s” policy of “slow assassination.”
Recent testimonies reveal targeted efforts to eliminate senior Qassam Brigades figures in “Israeli” prisons, especially in the West Bank. Abbas al-Sayyid, imprisoned since 2002 and serving 35 life sentences, is held in solitary confinement at Ramon Prison. He is facing severe abuse, starvation, and medical neglect, with untreated eye and skin infections. His solitary confinement after October 7 has caused his health to decline severely, with his weight dropping to just 55 kilograms.
Tala, daughter of detainee Abdullah al-Barghouti, revealed harrowing details about her father's condition through a lawyer who recently visited him. Al-Barghouti, a Qassam commander, has been imprisoned since 2003, serving 67 life sentences. Tala described the lawyer as being left speechless and emotionally devastated by the extent of the torture her father is enduring. She called the visit a human tragedy, explaining that other detainees are the only ones helping him, using dishwashing liquid to disinfect his wounds in the absence of proper medical care. The Palestinian Prisoners Society confirmed that al-Barghouti is repeatedly attacked by dogs and doused in burning chemicals after each brutal session.
The same treatment applies to detainee Hassan Salameh, who has endured ongoing assaults in solitary confinement at Megiddo Prison for months. Accused of leading the “Sacred Revenge” operations following Yahya Ayyash’s assassination, Salameh suffers from medical neglect, hunger, tooth loss, weakened eyesight, and constant migraines. Despite repeated requests, he has been denied prescription glasses.
Meanwhile, detainee Muhannad Shreim, a key figure in the detainees' movement, has fallen victim to silent abuse. Arrested in 2002 after a months-long manhunt. He is serving 29 life sentences, in addition to 20 years. For over seven months, Shreim has been held in solitary confinement, transferred between Gilboa and Megiddo prisons. According to the Prisoners’ Media Office, he has lost around 45 kilograms and suffers from severe frailty.
The brutality against detainees has escalated since so-called “National” Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir returned to the entity, wielding direct control over the prison system.
As of April 2025, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported over 9,900 detainees, including about 400 children and 27 women. The group condemned the ongoing silence of the international community as complicity in these crimes.
