Death in military or IPS custody

Based on information collected from official sources through Freedom of Information requests, human rights organizations, and media outlets, and verified by Physicians for Human Rights Israel through cross-referencing directly-managed cases, collected testimonies, and participation in post-mortem examinations, at least 94 Palestinian security prisoners and detainees died in IPS and military facilities or while being transferred by the military to these locations between October 7, 2023, and October 2025. This figure is unprecedented.

While PHRI and human rights organizations are aware of 94 cases, the fate of hundreds of Palestinians taken from Gaza and held by the military remains unknown, raising concerns that the true number may be even higher. Notably, the identities of some who died in military custody are unknown.

Information about deaths in custody is not made public, nor shared with families. In some cases, post-mortem examinations are withheld or conducted without a family-appointed physician present.

Cases that were able to be investigated revealed deaths that resulted from a range and sometimes a combination of causes: inhuman conditions of incarceration, including severe food deprivation; pre-existing medical conditions inadequately addressed during detention; untreated injuries; or violence inflicted while in custody.

As far as is known, as of October 2025 no soldier or prison guard has been prosecuted in connection with deaths in custody.

For further reading, see: PHRI, Deaths of Palestinians in Israeli Custody: Disappearance, Systematic Killing, and Cover-Up, November 2025