Mon Apr 07 10:09:13 UTC 2025: ## Israeli Doctor Links Palestinian Teen’s Prison Death to Starvation

**JERUSALEM** – A 17-year-old Palestinian teenager, Walid Ahmad, died in an Israeli prison likely due to starvation, according to an Israeli doctor who observed the autopsy. Ahmad, held for six months without charge, suffered from extreme malnutrition, colitis, and scabies, as detailed in a report by Dr. Daniel Solomon, a gastrointestinal surgeon who observed the autopsy at the request of the family.

The report, obtained by the Associated Press, doesn’t officially state a cause of death, but highlights Ahmad’s severe weight loss and muscle wasting. Prison records indicate Ahmad complained about inadequate food since at least December. Palestinian officials say he died last month after collapsing in Megiddo Prison and striking his head. Israel’s prison service is conducting its own investigation.

Ahmad’s death has raised concerns about conditions in Israeli prisons, particularly following the October 2023 war. Rights groups cite widespread abuse, including beatings, overcrowding, insufficient medical care, and poor sanitation. Megiddo Prison, where Ahmad was held, is considered one of the harshest facilities. Former detainees have corroborated these claims, describing conditions worsening since the war’s onset. While Israel’s prison service maintains its facilities operate within the law, Ahmad’s lawyer reported the teen suffered from diarrhea, vomiting, and dizziness before his death, possibly due to contaminated food and water.

Medical experts, including Dr. Lina Qasem Hassan of Physicians for Human Rights Israel, believe Ahmad’s colitis was exacerbated by severe malnutrition, leading to dehydration and ultimately death. Dr. Arne Stray-Pedersen, a professor of forensic medicine at the University of Oslo, concurs, stating the report suggests prolonged malnutrition as the underlying cause.

The Israeli authorities have yet to release an official autopsy report or return Ahmad’s body to his family, who are demanding his remains for burial. The family’s lawyer confirmed that obtaining Dr. Solomon’s report required a court order. The case further fuels ongoing tensions and accusations of human rights abuses against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.

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