Beyond the Headlines: The Systematic Erosion of Humanity in Israel’s Detention Facilities 

Based on a comprehensive report from Physicians for Human Rights Israel, at least 98 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody over the past two years—the highest number ever recorded—in what the organization describes as a “systematic policy of killing.”

The findings, drawn from autopsies, medical files, and testimonies, reveal a consistent pattern of death caused by torture, severe physical violence, and deliberate medical neglect, including the denial of life-saving medication for conditions like cancer and diabetes. The report highlights that this crisis is exacerbated by a policy of “enforced disappearance,” with families often uninformed of deaths for months, and a near-total lack of accountability, as not a single soldier, guard, or official has been prosecuted despite clear evidence of abuse.

Beyond the Headlines: The Systematic Erosion of Humanity in Israel’s Detention Facilities 

The figure is stark, a numerical abstraction that barely hints at the human catastrophe it represents: 98 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody over the past two years. This is not a random statistic but the highest number ever recorded, a grim milestone that a leading Israeli human rights organization, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), labels a “systematic policy of killing.” Behind this chilling term lies a consistent pattern of brutality, medical neglect, and a legal framework that has seemingly abdicated its role as a protector of human life. 

This isn’t just a news story; it’s a deep dive into a system operating in the shadows of a broader conflict, where the rules of war and human dignity are being systematically dismantled. 

The Unprecedented Scale: A System Under Strain or a Policy in Action? 

To understand the gravity of 98 deaths, one must view it in historical context. The number isn’t just high; it’s unprecedented. It coincides with a period of intense conflict, beginning with the horrific Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and saw 250 taken hostage. Israel’s subsequent military response in Gaza has been devastating, resulting in over 69,000 Palestinian deaths, according to local authorities, and the arrest of thousands more. 

The population of Palestinian detainees has nearly doubled to around 10,000. This influx has overwhelmed a system that, even in times of relative calm, has been criticized by international bodies for its treatment of Palestinian prisoners. However, PHRI’s report, based on freedom of information requests, autopsy reports, and harrowing testimonies, argues that what we are witnessing is not merely systemic collapse but deliberate policy. 

The deaths are split between two systems: 46 in official Israel Prison Service (IPS) facilities and 52 under military custody, primarily from Gaza. The most infamous of these sites is the Sde Teiman military camp, a place that has become synonymous with alleged torture and abuse. The fact that 29 of the custodial deaths occurred here alone points to a concentrated epicenter of violence and neglect. 

The Anatomy of Neglect: How Death Becomes Inevitable 

A “systematic policy of killing” does not always manifest as outright execution. More often, it is a slow, bureaucratic death sentence delivered through a thousand cuts of neglect and violence. The PHRI report and The Independent’s own investigations detail a consistent and horrifying pattern: 

• Medical Abandonment: This appears to be a primary cause of death. The report documents diabetic patients denied insulin, cancer patients stripped of life-saving chemotherapy, and individuals with chronic conditions left to deteriorate. The case of 21-year-old Mohammed al-Sabar from the West Bank is a particularly egregious example. He died in Ofer prison in February 2024 from complications of Hirschsprung’s disease, a congenital condition he had managed since childhood. Denied essential medication and treatment, his intestines became fatally obstructed—a slow and painful death that was entirely preventable. 

• Violence and Torture: Autopsy reports, where they exist, tell a story of physical brutality. They reveal head injuries, internal bleeding, and fractured ribs. Testimonies from released detainees speak of sustained beatings, sexual assault, and prolonged stress positions designed to break the body and spirit. These are not isolated incidents but form a “consistent pattern” of violence by guards and interrogators. 

• Systemic Secrecy and Enforced Disappearance: Perhaps one of the most cruel aspects is the policy of secrecy. Families often go for weeks or months without knowing the fate of their loved ones, learning of their deaths only through media reports or informal channels. For five critical months at the start of the war (October 2023 to March 2024), when at least 35 detainees died, no official forensic examinations were conducted at all. This lack of transparency and accountability is what PHRI describes as a “policy of enforced disappearance,” making the true death toll likely an undercount. 

The Legal Fig Leaf: Accountability in a Vacuum 

The Israeli state’s response to these allegations has been a consistent, blanket denial. The IPS states it “operates in accordance with the law,” while the military asserts that any mistreatment is “strictly prohibited.” Yet, these assurances ring hollow against PHRI’s most damning finding: not a single soldier, prison guard, or IPS doctor has been prosecuted in connection with these 98 deaths. 

This impunity is the engine of the systematic policy. When evidence of violence or medical neglect fails to result in even an indictment, the message to those on the ground is clear: there are no consequences. The law, as Oneg Ben Dror of PHRI starkly puts it, becomes a “fig leaf and a tool for concealment.” It provides a veneer of legitimacy while the machinery of abuse operates unimpeded. 

This creates a moral and legal vacuum. The very institutions designed to prevent such atrocities—military justice, oversight bodies, and government ministries—are either complicit through their inaction or powerless to intervene. 

The Broader Canvas: Detention as a Political Tool 

The crisis in the detention centers cannot be divorced from the wider political landscape. The report’s release comes amid a fierce international debate over Palestinian statehood, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vehemently opposing any such move. The treatment of Palestinian detainees is, for many, a microcosm of the broader conflict—a reflection of a power dynamic where one population lives under the perpetual control of another, with limited rights and recourse. 

Furthermore, the fluctuating stance of international allies like Germany, which recently moved to resume some arms sales to Israel, sends mixed signals. While countries may express concern over human rights, their continued military and political support can be interpreted as tacit acceptance of the status quo, undermining calls for accountability. 

A Call for Humanity: Beyond the Numbers 

The story of the 98 is not finished. Each number was a life with a name, a family, and a story. They were fathers, sons, students, and laborers. The systematic erasure of their humanity in their final days and weeks—through medical neglect, physical abuse, and the denial of even the basic dignity of notifying their families—is a profound moral failure. 

PHRI’s call for an independent international investigation is not just a procedural request; it is a desperate plea for a return to a shared standard of human dignity. The evidence they have painstakingly compiled paints a picture that can no longer be dismissed as collateral damage of war. It suggests a calculated erosion of the rules that bind us, even in conflict. 

Until light is shone into the dark corners of Sde Teiman and other facilities, and until the architects and perpetrators of this policy are held to account, the number 98 will not be a final tally. It will be a grim milestone on a deepening path of tragedy, a testament to a system where death in custody has become not an anomaly, but a predictable, and seemingly accepted, outcome. The world is now faced with a choice: to look at the evidence and act, or to become complicit in the silence that allows such a policy to endure.