Khaled Abdullah, whose release was expected in the coming weeks, was held since November 9, 2023, and died in the Meggido Prison on February 23, 2025.
A 40-year-old Palestinian man has died while being held under administrative detention in an Israeli prison, according to Palestinian prisoner rights groups. His death raises the death toll of detainees having died in prison since October 2023 to 61.
The Detainees and Ex-detainees Affairs Commission and Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said Khaled Abdullah had been held in Israeli jails under the illegal system of administrative detention – without charge or trial – since November 9, 2023.
The administrative detainee Khaled Abdullah
(40 years old) from Jenin refugee camp was martyred 10 days ago on 23/2/2025 in Megiddo prison, and his family was informed today. Notably, he had been detained since 9/11/2023 and had no prior health issues. He was married and a father… pic.twitter.com/ObtpwwzrFX— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) March 3, 2025
He died in Megiddo Prison on February 23, 2025, “as a result of the systematic crimes practiced by the zionist prison system,” the statement by the PPS said.
Abdullah, a married father of four, from the Jenin refugee camp, did not suffer any health problems before his detention, his family is cited as saying. He also has two brothers who are administratively detained; Shadi and Iyad Abdullah.
Hamas Issues Warning
The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas issued a statement condemning Israel’s “horrific crimes” against Palestinian detainees.
“We warn the criminal occupation against continuing its horrific crimes against our prisoners in its jails,” the movement said in a statement on Monday.
The General Authority for Civil Affairs informed prisoner institutions of the martyrdom of administrative detainee Khaled Abdullah (40 years old) from Jenin Camp on February 23, 2025, in Megiddo Prison. It is noted that he had been detained since November 9, 2023,
⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/h3lmIR4Jyq
— Addameer – الضمير (@Addameer) March 3, 2025
Hamas said Abdullah’s death “prove the brutality of the occupation in its treatment of our prisoners, depriving them of even the most basic human rights,” adding the “ongoing policy of medical neglect which means slow execution of prisoners inside the occupation’s prisons.”
The movement warned Israel of its “criminal policy” pursued against prisoners, and renewed its call to “all free people of the world, as well as human rights and legal institutions, to pressure the occupation, hold it accountable for its crimes against our people, and stand in solidarity with our prisoners as they face dire conditions.”
The rights groups said that Abdullah was the third detainee whose death had been announced within a week, bringing the number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli prison since October 2023 to 61. This includes at least 40 from Gaza.
Anticipated Release
Abdullah’s family were devastated at the news of his death, saying they had anticipated his release in the coming weeks.
According to Addameer, a legal support group for Palestinian detainees, the total number of Palestinians to have died in Israeli prisons since 1967 has risen to 298.
Jenin | The family and relatives of Palestinian detainee Khaled Abdullah are grieving his shocking death in Israeli occupation detention.
They had anticipated his release in the coming weeks, but were instead informed today of his death in prison. pic.twitter.com/7xkhixrhsL
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 3, 2025
In addition, the number of bodies of deceased detainees held by Israel has reached 70, including 59 since the beginning of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza in October 2023.
“It is also important to note that dozens of detainees from Gaza remain subject to enforced disappearance policies,” Addameer stressed.
(PC, MEMO)
