Seventeen-year-old Walid Ahmed was kidnapped from his home, beaten, and thrown into the back of a military jeep. His crime? Being Palestinian. Days later, his lifeless body was returned—yet another casualty of the Zionist occupation’s brutal imprisonment system.
Charlotte Kates, International Coordinator for the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, recounts: “He was kidnapped from his home by the Zionist occupation… he was beaten, thrown in the back of a military jeep, and taken to an infamous interrogation centre.”
Ahmed’s death in Israeli custody is not an isolated incident. It is a symptom of a much larger issue: a systematic attempt to dehumanise and break Palestinian prisoners. Kates highlights the horrific reality within these prisons, likening them to the detention camps of South Africa’s apartheid era.
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What is going on in these prisons?
Israeli detention centres operate on a system designed to break prisoners both physically and mentally. “Prisoners are denied access to water, to cleaning supplies, to health supplies, to medication, and they’re being deliberately served rotten food in small portions,” Kates states.
Starvation is a tool of control, with detainees deliberately given food unfit for consumption.
“During Ramadan, they would leave cheese and dairy out all day, and a lot of the time it was rotten even before the Palestinians were given this food,” she explains.
Most Palestinian detainees, like Ahmed, are young. Many are imprisoned without charges under the draconian policy of administrative detention, which allows indefinite incarceration without trial.
Over 4,000 Palestinians currently languish in these conditions, suffering in overcrowded, unsanitary cells. The toll of such treatment is devastating.
“He was a healthy teen; he loved to play football,” Kates reflects, emphasising how he was stripped of his youth and life.
Despite repeated reports and eyewitness testimonies, international bodies like the United Nations have done little to hold Israel accountable. Kates and human rights activists stress the urgent need for global intervention. The parallels with South Africa’s apartheid regime are clear—both relied on arbitrary detention, systemic torture, and the crushing of resistance through imprisonment.
If history has taught us anything, it’s that oppressive regimes do not dismantle themselves. Change comes through relentless global pressure, grassroots activism, and the refusal to be silent in the face of injustice. The world turned against apartheid South Africa—will it do the same for Palestine?
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How Can You Help?
– Raise Awareness: Share the stories of Palestinian prisoners. Do not let their suffering be forgotten.
– Support Grassroots Movements: Organisations like Samidoun work tirelessly to advocate for detainees.
– Pressure International Bodies: Demand accountability from the UN and global leaders.
– Join Protests & Campaigns: Collective action has the power to push for policy change.
Ahmed’s story is not just about one boy—it is about an entire people being systematically oppressed. The question remains: how much longer will the world look away?
Image: Arab Centre Washington DC
