Israeli Rights Group: At Least 98 Palestinians Died in Israeli Custody Since October 2023 — True Toll Likely Higher

Key findings from Physicians for Human Rights — Israel

An Israel-based human rights organization, Physicians for Human Rights — Israel (PHRI), reports that at least 98 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody since October 2023. PHRI warns the true number may be higher because many people detained in Gaza remain missing or unaccounted for.

Methodology

PHRI compiled its tally using official Israeli records, responses to freedom-of-information requests and corroborating material including forensic reports, testimonies from released detainees, interviews with family members and lawyers, documentation from other rights groups and individual inquiries to locate specific detainees.

What PHRI found

The report attributes deaths to physical violence, medical neglect, or both. Its breakdown shows:

• 46 deaths in facilities run by the Israel Prison Service (IPS) since the outbreak of the war;
• At least 52 deaths of Gaza residents in Israeli military custody.

PHRI identified 73 of those who died by name. Among them were Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, 53, former head of orthopedics at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, who reportedly showed signs of physical abuse in detention, and 17-year-old Walid Khalid Ahmad, whose autopsy cited prolonged malnutrition.

Access and transparency concerns

The group notes that Israeli authorities stopped providing information to the International Committee of the Red Cross about Palestinians in custody in the early days of the war and denied access to detention sites. The last public figures released were from May 2024 (Israeli military) and September 2024 (IPS). After those dates, PHRI says it documented additional deaths using firsthand testimony and official responses provided to the Palestinian Authority.

Sites and patterns

PHRI says deaths occurred across nearly all detention facilities, including field and military sites. Notably, it recorded 29 deaths of detained Gaza residents at Sde Teiman, a field hospital at an Israeli military base in the Negev that has also served as a detention center. Additional custodial deaths were documented at military camps in southern Israel and at the Ofer and Anatot facilities.

“The fate of hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza detained by the Israeli military remains unknown to this day, suggesting that the true number of deaths is likely significantly higher than those documented here,” the PHRI report states.

Responses

The Israel Prison Service told media outlets it "operates in accordance with the law," that inmates are held under legal procedures and that rights — including access to medical care, hygiene and adequate living conditions — are upheld by trained staff. The IPS said it does not comment on figures or allegations from outside organizations and disputed PHRI’s characterization of the incidents.

PHRI’s project coordinator for prisoners and detainees, Oneg Ben Dror, said the number of custodial deaths, together with what the group describes as clear evidence of deaths caused by torture and medical neglect, indicate a deliberate policy and a failure of Israeli law enforcement to hold those responsible to account.

Context and calls for accountability

PHRI links deteriorating detention conditions in part to policy decisions by Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and has joined with other Israeli human rights groups in calling for accountability and greater transparency about detainees’ whereabouts and treatment. Israel has strongly rejected accusations that its actions constitute genocide.

The report calls for independent investigations into the deaths and for renewed access for international monitors to detention sites. CNN contributed reporting to the original coverage of this topic.