Palestinian father from Gaza dies in Israel jail 'after torture': authorities

A Palestinian father-of-seven from Gaza has died in an Israeli jail, according to Palestinian prisoners' affairs authorities.

Palestine's official Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs (CDA) announced on Saturday that Nasr Salem Said Ziyara, 65, had died on 16 August in Al-Ramla prison.

The CDA and the Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) advocacy group said in a joint statement that Ziyara was "one of dozens" of detainees from Gaza who had died "as a result of systematic torture".

The statement added that detainees who were visited in Al-Ramla prison in Israel said he was moved to the jail a week before he died and was in very bad health.

He had burns on the lower part of his body and was unable to walk.

His family said he was suffering from diabetes and heart issues, but not from any sign of burns on his body when he was detained.

According to Ziyara's family, he was detained on 29 December from his home in Gaza City's Al-Tuffah neighbourhood along with his son Jihad, 37, the statement said.

His family said the two men were abused over a period of hours before being arrested.

Jihad is being held in the Naqab (Negev) in southern Israel, according to available information.

The prisoner groups said Ziyara's death brings the number of Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli detention since 7 October to 24, noting that this figure does not include others whose deaths have not been announced or individuals whose identities are not known.

"The occupation [Israel] continues to hide the identities of dozens of martyrs among the detainees who died in prisons and camps," the statement said.

It said Israeli authorities have yet to announce the total number of detainees from Gaza since 7 October, and they "continue to carry out the crime of enforced disappearance against the vast majority of them".

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has so far killed at least 40,738 people, according to the Palestinian enclave's health ministry.

Hospitals, places of worship, and residential buildings have been attacked and destroyed during the war, and South Africa has accused Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice, the United Nations' top tribunal.