Summary:
- Palestinian detainee Mus’ab Hani Haniyeh, 35, from Gaza, died in Israeli custody on January 5, as confirmed by Palestinian rights groups.
- Haniyeh, arrested in March 2024, had no prior serious health conditions; his death highlights alleged torture and inhumane treatment in Israeli prisons.
- Rights groups report that 59 Palestinian detainees have died due to systematic torture since the ongoing Israeli assault began, with a total of 296 deaths since 1967.
- The incident comes amid international legal action against Israel for alleged war crimes and genocide in Gaza, with calls for accountability intensifying.
A Palestinian detainees from Gaza, Mus’ab Hani Haniyeh, 35, has died while in Israeli custody, according to a joint statement released on Monday by the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestine Prisoner’s Society (PPS). The organisations reported that Israeli authorities informed them of Haniyeh’s death on January 5, sparking renewed concerns over the treatment of Palestinian prisoners.
Haniyeh, a father to a nine-year-old child, was arrested in Hamad City on March 3, 2024, and reportedly had no known serious health conditions prior to his detention. His death marks the 59th Palestinian detainees to die due to alleged systematic torture in Israeli custody since the start of the ongoing Israeli assault. Of these, at least 38 were from Gaza. The total number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli custody since 1967 now stands at 296, though rights groups warn the actual toll may be higher due to concealed identities and reports of forced disappearances.
In their statement, the Commission and PPS condemned Haniyeh’s death as a crime against Palestinian detainees and accused Israel of subjecting prisoners to torture, starvation, sexual violence, and exposure to contagious diseases. “Thousands of Palestinian detainees face brutal conditions in Israeli prisons,” the statement read, urging international human rights organisations to hold Israel accountable for its treatment of prisoners.
The PPS estimates that over 10,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli custody, excluding hundreds of detainees from Gaza who have been forcibly disappeared. The organisations held Israel fully responsible for Haniyeh’s death and called for decisive action from global bodies to address what they described as crimes against humanity.
This incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of Israel’s actions in Gaza. A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement took effect last month following a devastating conflict that claimed nearly 48,350 lives, predominantly women and children. The war left much of Gaza in ruins and prompted international legal action against Israeli leaders. In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Additionally, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The death of Mus’ab Haniyeh has reignited calls for accountability as human rights advocates continue to demand justice for Palestinian detainees and an end to what they describe as systemic abuses under Israeli custody.
