Elderly Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli custody

Elderly Palestinian Prisoner Dies in Israeli Custody

At least 81 Palestinians have died in Israeli detention since October 2023, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

Death of Mohammad Ghawadra

Mohammad Ghawadra, 63, from Jenin in the northern West Bank, died Sunday while in Israeli custody, the Commission of Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society reported in a joint statement.

Ghawadra was arrested on August 6, 2024, and had been held in Ganot Prison in southern Israel.

The statement did not specify the exact cause or place of his death but noted it happened "amid ongoing incitement led by the fascist Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who seeks to pass a law allowing the execution of prisoners and boasts of crimes committed against them."

Family and Context

Mohammad Ghawadra was the father of administrative detainee Sami Ghawadra and former prisoner Shadi Ghawadra, who was released and deported to Egypt earlier this year as part of a Gaza ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.

Current Situation

The death of Mohammad Ghawadra brings the total number of prisoners who have died in Israeli custody since October 2023 to 81.
Israel currently holds the bodies of 89 prisoners, including 78 who died after the Gaza war began.

Summary: An elderly Palestinian prisoner, Mohammad Ghawadra, died in Israeli custody amid escalating tensions and increasing prisoner deaths since October 2023.

Anadolu Ajansı — 2025-11-03