Prison service says security inmate found dead, refuses to disclose cause of death

Palestinian media identifies inmate as Hassan Issa Alkshalaa from southern Bedouin city of Rahat, who had been jailed for 13 months

The Israel Prison Service said Thursday that a security prisoner from southern Israel was found dead in his cell at the Gilboa prison.

The incident has been reported to police and is under investigation, the agency said. It declined to specify the cause of death, calling it confidential.

Palestinian media identified the deceased security prisoner as Hassan Issa Alkshalaa from the Bedouin city of Rahat. The reports did not specify his age, but described him as a young man. According to the reports, Alkshalaa has been in jail for over 13 months and was due to be released in six months.

Unlike criminal inmates, security inmates are detained for committing “security offenses,” which can range from deadly terror attacks to publishing what Israel deems incendiary content online. Almost all security inmates are Palestinians or Israeli Arabs. It was not immediately clear why Alkshalaa was arrested.

Alkshalaa is one of around a hundred security prisoners to die in Israeli custody since the start of the two-year war in Gaza, according to Physicians for Human Rights-Israel.

The past two years have seen Israel’s prison population expand even further beyond its official capacity, leading to acute overcrowding, as rights groups warn of increasingly dire conditions for inmates — particularly in security facilities.

A recent report from the Public Defender’s Office attested to security prisoners being subjected to malnutrition, widespread scabies and regular beatings by guards.

The worsening conditions for security inmates are a point of pride for National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who regularly touts the drastic shift taking place on his watch.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.