Elderly Palestinian dies “from systematic torture” in Israel’s Ayalon prison in Ramla

An elderly man from the Gaza Strip has died in Israel's Ayalon prison in Ramla “as a result of systematic torture,” bringing the total number of Palestinian prisoners killed in custody since October 7 last year to 24, human rights groups said on Saturday.

The Palestinian Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club announced in a joint statement the “martyrdom of 65-year-old Gaza prisoner Nasr Zeyara on August 16 in Ramla Prison.”

“Zeyara is one of the many Gaza prisoners who have died as a result of systematic torture, and the occupation (the Israeli government) continues to conceal the identities of most of them and withhold their bodies,” the statement continued.

He was arrested on December 29 last year along with his son Jihad Zeyara (37), who is currently in Negev prison, the statement said, citing his family.

Zeyara, who was married and had seven children, was arrested by Israeli security forces at his residence in Gaza's Al-Tuffah neighborhood, his family said. Before their arrest, he and his son had endured hours of brutal interrogation in the house.

The groups noted that “prisoners visited in Ramla Prison confirmed that Martyr Zeyara was transferred to Ramla Prison a week before his death and was suffering from a complicated health condition, including burns to the lower body.”

“With the martyrdom of Zeyara, the number of martyrs among prisoners and detainees announced since October 7, that is, since the beginning of the genocidal war against our people in the Gaza Strip, rises to 24, and these are only those announced whose identities are known,” the statement said.

The human rights groups stated: “The occupying power (the Israeli government) continues to conceal the identities of dozens of martyrs among the prisoners who died in prisons and camps. To date, there is no definitive and accurate number of them, in addition to the prisoners who were subjected to executions in the open field.”

The human rights groups held Israel “fully responsible for the martyrdom of Nasr Zeyara, who was subjected to a complex crime through his arrest, brutal treatment and detention under degrading and harsh conditions.”

They stated that the Israeli prison administration had classified 1,584 prisoners as “illegal combatants,” while Israeli media reported that more than 4,500 people had been detained.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian Hamas on October 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

According to local health authorities, the attack left nearly 40,700 Palestinians dead, mostly women and children, and over 94,000 injured.

The ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine and left large parts of the region in ruins.

Israel is facing genocide charges before the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had sought refuge before the territory was captured on May 6.