According to a report published by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, Israel operates more than dozen prisons as special torture camps for the ‘abuse’ of prisoners, and these ‘torture camps’ operate in a closed network connected throughout the country.^[1] In the statement made by Abdel Fattah Devle, the spokesman for the Palestinian Commission for Prisoners and Detainees’ Affairs:

“There are units that frequently raid prisons, and these units have been raiding all the wards of the prisons since October 7th and torturing the prisoners. There are those who have been wounded by bullets and have not received treatment, and those who have fractures. Anyone who passes through these wards will often see or smell blood. We are not revealing all the details about the tragic conditions of the detainees so that their families do not suffer. However, he said that the extent of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners in the prisons exceeds the limits of imagination and has never been witnessed before.” ^[2]

B’Tselem states in the report that at least 60 Palestinians, at least 48 of whom were from Gaza, have died in Israeli “torture centers” since October 7. ^[3] In fact, it is a mystery how many people were killed in these torture centers. Indeed, many reports reflected in the media indicate that many prisoners died because of severe torture in these torture centers and that their bodies were not returned to their families. In this article, we present to your attention the story of Dr. Iyad Ahmed Mohammed Al-Rantisi, who was killed while trying to reconnect the Palestinians to life, injured by Israel:

Dr. Iyad Al-Rantisi was born in a refugee camp on February 6, 1971, as the child of a refugee family in Gaza and is an idealist doctor who completed his primary and secondary education in Gaza. Dr. Iyad Ahmed Mohammed Al-Rantisi received his medical education at the Saratov Chernyshevsky State University in Russia for 5 years and graduated from Vitebsk State University in Belarus in 1998. Dr. Rantisi, who received his specialization in Obstetrics and Gynecology, returned to Gaza after his education to serve his people and patients. Dr. Iyad Al-Rantisi started working at Balsam Hospital in Beit Lahia immediately after his return to Gaza and then continued his duties at Kamal Adwan Hospital, where he was soon appointed Head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Kamal Adwan Hospital. Married, father of three children, Dr. Iyad was 53 years old when he was killed in an Israeli torture center. Dr. Iyad was a well-educated obstetrician and gynecologist who spoke English, Russian and Arabic.

During the Israeli attacks that began on October 7, Dr. Iyad refused to leave Gaza City, choosing to stay with his patients and fulfill his humanitarian mission. When the attacks targeted civilian settlements, UN-protected refugee centers, schools, and even the UN buildings themselves, it became clear that these attacks would expand in a way that would not comply with any rules or laws. Indeed, Israel soon began targeting hospitals and healthcare workers, in violation of all international agreements, targeting the Gaza healthcare infrastructure and especially trained doctors and healthcare personnel.

After this intense bombardment and siege, Dr. Iyad decided to move his family to safety. On November 10, 2023, after finishing the surgery he was performing that day, he left northern Gaza with his family, wearing a doctor’s uniform, via the route designated by Israeli forces as a “safe corridor.” However, after a while, he was singled out from the crowd, stopped, and while he was being taken away from his family, his wife and children were pointed at with guns to keep them on their way. His daughter Dina recalls what she experienced while her father was being detained:

“I couldn’t move my hands, I couldn’t hold my father, I couldn’t do anything. The occupation forces ordered us to walk without looking either way.”

According to Dina, when Israeli soldiers spotted her father in the crowd, they said, “Nurse, come.” That was the last time she saw him. For the next eight months, there was no news of Al-Rantisi. During this time, his family assumed he was alive and hoped to see him again soon. It emerged eight months later that Dr. Iyad Al-Rantisi had been tortured to death in an Israeli “torture center” six days after his arrest. Al-Rantisi was forced to flee from the north of Gaza to the south, via what Israel called a “safe corridor,” and was tortured to death during interrogation in the Ashkelon detention center a week after his abduction.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on June 18, 2024, the news of his death, which came six days after his arrest on November 10, was censored by the Israeli authorities for more than eight months, and newspapers were not allowed to report on it. ^[4]  "I was shocked when I saw the news. I was waiting for my father; I still see his memory and traces everywhere. My family and I were waiting for news, we prayed day and night for his release. I want my father's body. I want to say goodbye to him. I want to see him. I miss him so much," Dina said.

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, Chief Physician at Kamal Adwan Hospital, expressed his deep sorrow over what happened to Dr. Iyad, saying he was “indescribably hurt” when he heard of his colleague Dr. Iyad’s death. “We have a right to know the details of Dr. Iyad’s death,” he said. He said Dr. Iyad, who was a perfectly healthy person before his arrest, was subjected to severe beatings and torture, suffered internal bleeding and died as a result, and that his treatment was deliberately neglected by the Israeli authorities during this period. “Losing him meant losing another talented and devoted doctor in Gaza,” and the Gaza health system was further weakened.

Dr. Iyad was known for his kindness, ethics, good-heartedness and dedication to his work. He risked his life to serve patients and never considered abandoning his humanitarian mission. Al-Rantisi’s death received significant attention in the international media, was condemned by various governments and international institutions, and led to demands for an international investigation into the treatment of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli authorities.

I pray to Allah to have mercy on the 40,000 Gazan martyrs, mostly children and women, in the person of Dr. Iyad Rantisi. I pray for the end of the genocide in Gaza, which is a black mark on the conscience of humanity.

I would like to thank Intern Dr. Ola Abuolwan, Kateryna Saleh and Journalist-Author Mustafa Ekici for their contributions.

^[1]Khalil Z, Canik ME. İsrailli insan hakları kuruluşuna göre, İsrail hapishaneleri "işkence kampına" dönüştü. Anadolu Ajansı. 2024. Available at: https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/israilli-insan-haklari-kurulusuna-gore-israil-hapishaneleri-iskence-kampina-donustu/3296196. Accessed: Augst 2024.

^[2]Şarkul Avsat. İsrail hapishanelerinde Filistinli tutuklulara yönelik “işkence” vakalarıyla ilgili tanık ifadeleri. 2023. Available at: https://turkish.aawsat.com/arap-d%C3%BCnyasi/4755071-i%CC%87srail-hapishanelerinde-filistinli-tutuklulara-y%C3%B6nelik-%E2%80%9Ci%C5%9Fkence%E2%80%9D-vakalar%C4%B1yla. Accessed: Augst 2024.

^[3] Btselem. Welcome to Hell- The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture. 2024. Available at: https://www.btselem.org/publications/202408_welcome_to_hell. Accessed: Augst 2024.

^[4]The New York Times. Many of Gaza’s Medical Workers Have Been Detained or Killed. 2024. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/02/world/middleeast/gaza-doctors-medical-workers-israel.html. Accessed: Augst 2024.

  Prof. Dr. Orhan Alimoğlu

  İstanbul Medeniyet University