The family of Imad Sarhan was notified on Sunday, June 14, 2026, that he had died inside Gilboa Prison. His death represents one incident in an escalating pattern of Israeli violations against Palestinian prisoners that has intensified since October 2023.

Mr. Sarhan was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to life imprisonment plus ten years. A resident of Wadi al-Nisnas neighborhood in occupied Haifa, he was 24 years old at the time of his arrest. He remained in detention for 24 years until his death at the age of 48.

He endured systematic policies of prolonged solitary confinement, including four consecutive years under the pretext of a "secret file," with isolation orders renewed periodically. He was subjected to medical neglect and torture, leading to chronic illnesses and severe deterioration of his health.

Israeli authorities continue to enforce harsh and systematic policies against Palestinian prisoners and detainees without exception, including medical professionals. This was evident in the case of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, who appeared days ago before Israel's Supreme Court via video link, shackled inside his cell — a stark illustration of the institutional complicity in violating international law and entrenching abuses against Palestinians.

With Mr. Sarhan's death — one of 118 prisoners serving life sentences — the number of martyrs of the prisoners' movement whose identities have been confirmed since the start of the genocide has risen to 90. Historically, the total number of prisoner martyrs since 1967 has reached 327, according to available documentation.

Approximately 9,500 Palestinians remain detained in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, including denial of medical care, starvation, mistreatment, and physical assaults — leading in some cases to death or permanent disability. These practices constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, and may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Reports regarding bodies returned by Israeli authorities to Gaza in recent months raise serious indicators requiring an independent and transparent international investigation to uncover the circumstances of death and establish legal responsibility. Since the announcement of the end of the war under U.S. President Donald Trump's vision, Gaza's Ministry of Health has received nearly 400 bodies of Palestinians held by Israeli authorities during the war. Forensic reports revealed signs of restraints and close-range gunfire on some corpses, alongside suspicions of organ theft. Many bodies were unidentifiable due to decomposition.

In February 2026, Palestinians in Gaza buried another group of unidentified martyrs in a cemetery south of Deir al-Balah, consisting only of scattered remains delivered in sealed bags and boxes — some containing skulls, bones, or feet alone.

During the war, dozens of degrading violations against human dignity were documented in videos and photos published by occupation soldiers themselves. These showed forced arrests, stripping civilians of clothing, blindfolding, and public humiliation, alongside testimonies of Palestinian women subjected to sexual violence during detention.

The treatment of Palestinian prisoners and detainees violates the Fourth Geneva Convention and other international instruments prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman treatment, and obligating detaining authorities to provide medical care and protection.

Institutional Position

"The notification of Imad Sarhan's death after 24 years of imprisonment — including years in solitary confinement justified by secret evidence, and prolonged medical neglect — exposes the machinery of arbitrary detention operating behind a veil of classification. When a prisoner can serve nearly a quarter-century and die without independent medical oversight, and when courts legitimize isolation through undisclosed files, the boundary between law and institutionalized abuse has ceased to exist. The international community's silence is not neutrality; it is complicity."

Demands Aligned with International Human Rights Principles

Released by:
Women Journalists Without Chains,
Geneva, Switzerland — June 16, 2026