Israel Acknowledges Death of Gaza Detainee Nearly Two Years After Detention

Israel confirmed that Palestinian detainee Ihab Mohammed Abdel Qader Diab died while in custody, a fact revealed almost two years after his arrest.

The Israeli Prison Service notified the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs that 36-year-old Ihab Mohammed Abdel Qader Diab died while imprisoned, a disclosure made nearly two years after his arrest on December 12, 2023. The commission believes his death occurred around September 18, 2024, after roughly nine months of detention that it alleges involved torture. Israeli authorities attributed the death to a pre-existing health issue, a claim rejected by Diab’s relatives who say he was in good health when detained.

Gaza’s Prisoners’ Ministry holds Israel fully responsible, citing alleged torture, medical neglect and harsh conditions, and calls for an international probe and the return of Diab’s body. The death raises the total number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli custody since 1967 to 328, with 91 of those deaths recorded after October 7, 2023. Human-rights group HaMoked reports that Israel continues to hold nearly 8,000 security prisoners, including over 3,000 under administrative detention without formal charges.