Imad Rajeh Sarhan died at Gilboa prison after a medical emergency on Saturday, according to the Palestinian rights groups. Sarhan, from Haifa in northern Israel, had been detained since Oct. 15, 2001.
The groups said Sarhan suffered from vascular diseases and high blood pressure and had used a wheelchair in recent years due to deteriorating health. They accused Israeli authorities of medical neglect and mistreatment of prisoners, citing the Palestinian News Agency.

According to figures cited by Palestinian authorities, there were 9,361 Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails as of May 2023. Palestinian groups said at least 98 prisoners had died due to prison conditions since October 2023.

The death comes amid continued tensions over the treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. Israeli lawmakers passed legislation in May allowing the death penalty for Palestinian convicts involved in deadly attacks against Israelis.

Last week, Israeli lawmakers also proposed a bill that would prevent representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross from entering prisons and visiting Palestinian detainees.

The issue of prisoner conditions remains a major point of dispute between Israeli authorities and Palestinian rights groups.

Abu Safiya, 53, the former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, appeared before the court through a video connection as judges considered whether to extend his detention. No ruling had been issued by Thursday afternoon, according to Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHRI).

The pediatrician became widely known during the war in Gaza for documenting conditions inside Kamal Adwan Hospital during an 85-day Israeli military siege. Through videos released during the conflict, he appealed for international assistance as medical staff struggled to treat patients amid severe shortages and ongoing hostilities.

Images from Wednesday’s hearing showed Abu Safiya wearing white prison clothing and handcuffs. Observers said he appeared visibly thinner and pale, with marks visible on his arms.

PHRI said Abu Safiya was recently transferred to solitary confinement. His son, Elias Abu Safiya, said the move occurred shortly after the doctor challenged his detention through legal channels.

Israeli authorities have not formally charged Abu Safiya with a crime. The Israeli military has said he is being investigated on suspicion of cooperating with or working for Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs Gaza. Medical colleagues and international aid organizations that worked with him have rejected those allegations.

Following the hearing, defense lawyer Nasser Odeh conveyed a statement he said came from Abu Safiya, in which the doctor maintained that his work had been solely humanitarian and medical in nature.

Israel’s Justice Ministry did not immediately comment on the case. The Israeli Prison Service rejected allegations of mistreatment, stating that all detainees receive professional medical care and that complaints submitted through official channels are examined.

According to PHRI, 14 physicians from Gaza remain in Israeli detention. Rights organizations have repeatedly raised concerns about the detention of medical personnel during the conflict and have called for greater transparency regarding their legal status and conditions of confinement.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures are widely cited by international organizations though they do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Abu Safiya’s detention remains pending.

The judgment, issued on Wednesday, removes a policy that had barred ICRC access to Palestinian detainees for more than two years. The restriction was introduced after Israel accused the humanitarian organization of failing to secure access to hostages held in Gaza by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups following the attack.

The court found that the government had not adequately justified maintaining a blanket prohibition on prison visits, opening the way for the potential resumption of ICRC monitoring activities inside Israeli detention facilities.

The ICRC welcomed the ruling and said it was prepared to restart visits immediately. In a statement issued Wednesday evening, the organization said it was continuing discussions with Israeli authorities to resume detention-related operations as soon as possible.

The agency reiterated that access to detainees, including the ability to conduct private interviews, is an obligation under international humanitarian law.
Israel suspended ICRC visits to security-related prisoners shortly after the October 2023 attack, arguing that the organization had been unable to gain access to Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

The restrictions remained in force even after the return of the last hostages in October 2025.
The ruling comes amid sustained scrutiny of detention conditions in Israeli prisons. Human rights organizations, including several Israeli groups, have reported worsening conditions for Palestinian detainees, citing allegations of mistreatment, inadequate medical care and violence inside detention facilities.

The Prisoners Club, a leading Palestinian prisoners’ rights organization, said the court’s decision would have limited practical impact unless visits resume promptly. The group’s head, Abdullah Al-Zaghari, argued that the judgment should not obscure broader concerns regarding the role of Israeli judicial institutions in policies affecting Palestinian detainees.

The decision marks a significant legal setback for the government’s detention policy and could increase pressure on authorities to restore independent humanitarian monitoring of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody.