RAMALLAH, Palestine

The family of Walid Khaled Abdullah Ahmad, a 16-year-old Palestinian detainee, is mourning his death in Israel's Megiddo Prison, where he fell victim to what they describe as deliberate abuse and neglect by Israeli authorities.

Inside the family home in Silwad, a town east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, grief and shock fill the air. Walid's father holds photos of his smiling son, now painful reminders of a life cut short.

“He was arrested at dawn on Sept. 30, 2024, during a violent Israeli raid. Soldiers smashed our furniture and took him from his bed while he was still in his underclothes," said Khaled Ahmad, Walid’s father.

“He was a top student, the leading scorer on his local football team, and was preparing to join the Palestinian national team,” his father told Anadolu.

“He had aspirations of studying banking abroad and returning to serve his people. His future was bright. He was the eldest son, with one brother and two sisters, and his absence has left an unhealable wound on our family," Ahmad added.

Last week, the Palestinian Prisoners Society and the Commission of Detainees' Affairs confirmed Walid’s death, saying they were officially notified by the Israeli Civil Administration.

The two organizations stated that his death was part of a broader pattern of “systematic violations” in Israeli prisons, which have intensified since the outbreak of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

Walid was still under detention and had not been sentenced when he passed away, but his family reported that Israeli forces subjected him to “severe mistreatment.”

According to his father, Israeli authorities subjected Walid to “beatings, starvation, and medical neglect during his time in custody.”

“An autopsy report showed that he had lost a significant amount of weight, developed scabies and infections, and had fallen unconscious before his death,” Ahmad stated, adding: “Israel is deliberately killing child detainees.”

“Walid had no prior health issues. He was starved, left untreated, and ultimately killed.” He added that Walid’s death could have been prevented had he received proper medical attention and food.

“We just want to bury our son with dignity. His body should be handed over to us so we can give him a proper funeral in accordance with Islamic law,” Ahmad said.

Walid Ahmad was also a Brazilian citizen, which prompted officials and civil organizations in Brazil to follow his case closely. His father, however, expressed distrust of international investigation committees, saying: “We don’t trust any investigation committees. All we want is to bury our son.”

‘1st minor martyr since Oct. 7’

According to Amani Sarahneh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoners Society, Walid is the “first minor martyr” to die in Israeli custody since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

“He is one of 63 confirmed detainees to have died in Israeli prisons since Oct. 7, and likely not the last,” she said.

Sarahneh added that many other detainees, especially from Gaza, have died under similar conditions, but their identities and the causes of death remain unknown.

A medical report indicated that Walid's death was due to multiple factors including “starvation, severe physical trauma, infections, and dehydration,” the spokeswoman stated. She noted that the report also cited "scabies and vomiting as additional symptoms contributing to his condition,” and explained: “Hunger is believed to be the primary cause of death."

“His case is a tragic reflection of the brutal conditions that children and other detainees are experiencing,” Sarahneh warned. “If starvation and neglect continue, more deaths are inevitable.”

Sarahneh added that Walid's death should serve as a “wake-up call to the international community to address the dire conditions faced by Palestinian detainees.”

Ongoing crisis for Palestinian detainees

According to Palestinian rights groups, more than 9,500 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently detained in Israeli prisons. They face torture, deprivation of food and medical care, and harsh living conditions. Many of them are held in administrative detention without trial or charge.

In Walid’s case, rights groups argue that the conditions in which he died reflect a pattern of Israeli abuse toward Palestinian detainees, particularly minors.

The Palestinian rights organizations continue to call for international intervention to end the systematic mistreatment and ensure accountability.

The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing more than 1,100 people, injuring over 2,700 others, and breaking the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

More than 50,500 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 114,800 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.