Palestinian from West Bank first detainee under 18 to die in Israeli prison: officials

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 01, 2025 10:41 AM EDT | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

A teen from the West Bank who was held successful an Israeli situation for six months without being charged died aft collapsing successful unclear circumstances, becoming the archetypal Palestinian nether 18 to dice successful Israeli detention, officials said.

Walid Ahmad, 17, was a steadfast precocious schooler earlier his apprehension successful September for allegedly throwing stones astatine soldiers, his household said. Rights groups person documented wide maltreatment successful Israeli detention facilities holding thousands of Palestinians who were rounded up aft the Hamas-led attacks connected Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the warfare successful the Gaza Strip.

Prison authorities contradict immoderate systematic maltreatment and accidental they analyse accusations of wrongdoing by situation staff. But the Israeli ministry overseeing prisons acknowledges conditions wrong detention facilities person been reduced to the minimum level allowed nether Israeli law.

Israel's situation work did not respond to questions astir the origin of death. It said lone that a 17-year-old from the West Bank had died successful Megiddo Prison, a installation that's antecedently been accused of abusing Palestinian inmates, "with his aesculapian information being kept confidential." It said it investigates each deaths successful detention.

Khalid Ahmad, Walid's father, said his lad was a lively teen who enjoyed playing shot earlier helium was taken from his location successful the occupied West Bank during a predawn apprehension raid.

Six months later, aft respective little tribunal appearances, during which nary proceedings day was set, Walid collapsed connected March 23 successful a situation gait and struck his head, dying soon after, Palestinians officials said, citing eyewitness accounts from different prisoners.

The household believes Walid contracted amoebic dysentery from the mediocre conditions successful the prison, an corruption that causes diarrhea, vomiting and dizziness — and tin beryllium fatal if near untreated.

The Western-backed Palestinian Authority says Walid is the archetypal Palestinian nether 18 to dice successful Israeli detention — and the 63rd Palestinian from the West Bank oregon Gaza since the commencement of the war.

Palestinian captive rights groups accidental that is astir one-fifth of the astir 300 Palestinians who person died successful Israeli custody since the 1967 Mideast war, erstwhile Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians privation each 3 territories for their aboriginal state.

The Palestinian Authority says Israel is holding the bodies of 72 Palestinian prisoners who died successful Israeli jails, including 61 who died since the opening of the war. 

Conditions successful Israeli prisons person worsened since the commencement of the war, erstwhile detainees told The Associated Press. They described beatings, terrible overcrowding, insufficient aesculapian care, scabies outbreaks and mediocre sanitary conditions.

Israel's National Security Ministry, which oversees the situation work and is tally by ultra-nationalist furniture curate Itamar Ben-Gvir, has boasted of reducing the conditions of Palestinian detainees "to the minimum required by law." It says the argumentation is aimed astatine deterring attacks.

'Don't interest astir me,' begetter remembers him saying

Israel has rounded up thousands of Palestinians successful the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, saying it suspects them of militancy. Many person been held for months without complaint oregon proceedings successful what is known arsenic administrative detention, which Israel justifies arsenic a indispensable information measure. Others are arrested connected suspicion of aggression toward soldiers but person their trials continuously delayed, arsenic the subject and Israel's information services stitchery evidence. 

Walid sat done astatine slightest 4 tribunal appearances implicit video conference, his begetter said. Each league lasted astir 3 minutes, and different proceeding was scheduled for April 21, Walid's begetter said.

WATCH | Doctor who spent 6 months successful Israeli prisons released without charge:

In a February session, 4 months aft Walid was detained, his begetter noticed his lad appeared to beryllium successful mediocre health.

"His assemblage was weakened owed to malnutrition successful the prisons successful general," Ahmad said. He said Walid told him helium had gotten scabies — a contagious tegument rash caused by mites that causes aggravated itching — but had been cured. 

"Don't interest astir me," his begetter remembers him saying.

Four days aft Khalid Ahmad visited his son's friend, a erstwhile shot teammate who had been held with Walid successful the aforesaid prison, the household received the quality of Walid's death.

"We felt the aforesaid mode arsenic each the parents of the prisoners and each the families and mothers of the prisoners," said Khalid Ahmad. "We tin lone say, 'Indeed, we beryllium to Allah, and so to him we shall return.'"

'Harshest situation for minors'

Walid's lawyer, Firas al-Jabrini, said Israeli authorities denied his requests to sojourn his lawsuit successful prison. But helium says 3 prisoners held alongside Walid told him he was suffering from dysentery, saying it was wide among young Palestinians held astatine the facility.

He said they suspected the illness was spreading due to the fact that of soiled water, arsenic good arsenic food and yogurt that situation guards brought successful the greeting and that sat retired each time portion detainees were fasting for the Muslim beatified period of Ramadan.

Megiddo, successful bluish Israel, "is the harshest situation for minors," al-Jabrini said. He said helium was told that rooms designed for six prisoners often held 16, with immoderate sleeping connected the floor. Many complained of scabies and eczema.

Thaer Shriteh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority's detainee commission, said Walid collapsed and deed his caput connected a metallic rod, losing consciousness. "The situation medication did not respond to the prisoners' requests for urgent attraction to prevention his life," helium said, citing witnesses who spoke to the commission.

The lawyer and the Palestinian authoritative some said an autopsy is needed to find the origin of death. Israel has agreed to execute 1 but a day has not been set.