The Human Rights and Democracy Media Center “ SHAMS ” emphasizes that the martyrdom of detainee Mutaz Abu Zneid (35 years old) from Dura, Hebron Governorate, at Soroka Hospital on Monday, January 13, 2025, exemplifies the use of medical neglect as a tool for killing and execution of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons. Mutaz Abu Zneid, who was detained on June 27, 2023, did not suffer from any prior health issues. He was married and had a child. According to testimony from a recently released prisoner from Ramon Prison, Abu Zneid’s health deteriorated suddenly, and the prison administration refused to transfer him to a hospital. He remained in a critical condition until he fell into a coma. On January 6, 2025, the prison administration transferred him to Soroka Hospital, where he remained until his martyrdom was announced. This marks his fifth arrest by the occupation, during which he had staged multiple hunger strikes protesting his administrative detention.
The “ SHAMS ” Center condemns the ongoing crimes committed by the occupation against Palestinian detainees, which have intensified with increased aggression following the Israeli assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023. With Abu Zneid’s martyrdom, the number of Palestinian detainees martyred in occupation prisons since October 7, 2023, has reached 55, including 35 from Gaza. Since 1967, the total number of martyr detainees in occupation prisons has risen to 292. These figures clearly demonstrate the horrific methods of torture and deliberate medical neglect systematically practiced by the occupation prison administration to kill and execute Palestinian detainees under premeditated policies and plans.
The “ SHAMS ” Center denounces the international and institutional silence regarding these crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian detainees, particularly the crimes of medical neglect, torture, and severe mistreatment. This silence reveals complicity by some countries and highlights the double standards of those who portray themselves as defenders of human rights. This hypocrisy undermines the credibility of international human rights law, which was established to safeguard human dignity and protect fundamental rights, foremost among them the right to life.
The “ SHAMS ” Center asserts that this crime constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law, particularly the Third Geneva Convention of August 12, 1949. Article 13 of the convention mandates humane treatment of prisoners of war at all times and prohibits any unlawful act or neglect that could result in their death. Furthermore, it forbids subjecting prisoners to physical mutilation and ensures their protection against violence and reprisals. Article 15 of the same convention guarantees that the detaining power is responsible for providing adequate sustenance and medical care free of charge to prisoners of war.
The martyrdom of Abu Zneid also violates the 1998 Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court, which recognizes enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity under Article 7. It contravenes Rule 117 of the International Red Cross rules, which obligates all parties to a conflict to take feasible measures to account for missing persons during armed conflict and to inform their families of their fate. These rules apply to both international and non-international armed conflicts.
The “ SHAMS ” Center calls on the United Nations Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions, the International Red Cross, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and all international governmental and non-governmental organizations to fulfill their legal and humanitarian obligations. They must pressure “Israel,” the occupying power, to cease its aggressive practices and crimes against Palestinian detainees and adhere to international legal principles governing the treatment of Palestinian detainees as prisoners of war under the Third Geneva Convention.