Mistreatment and neglect led to deaths of Palestinian prisoners, Israeli doctor says

Video report by ITV News Senior International Correspondent John Irvine and Assistant Producer Aisha Kherallah

An Israeli doctor who helped conduct post-mortem examinations on three Palestinians who died in detention has exclusively told ITV News how medical negligence and mistreatment contributed to their deaths.

All three men are among some 60 Palestinians who are known to have died while in Israeli custody since the events of October 7 - when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting hundreds more.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have currently died as a result of Israel's subsequent air and ground invasion into the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

Omar Daghamesh, Arafat Hamdan and Abdelrahman Elbash all died while being held by Israel.

Speaking anonymously to ITV News, an Israeli doctor expressed his "sadness" at how the men were treated in detention.

On request of all three men's families, the doctor attended the post-mortem examinations and confirmed their cause of death.

Mr Daghamesh and Mr Hamdan, who lived with a heart condition and diabetes respectively, both died when they failed to receive proper medical attention.

Mr Elbash died after being beaten severely by prison guards.

'There were obvious signs that the conditions of detention were extremely poor'

"One of the main feelings that I sensed was an overall sadness, just given my concerns about how these detainees are held," the doctor said.

"And there were obvious signs that the conditions of detention were extremely poor."

When asked about Mr Elbash's death and whether he was 'talking about slaps around the face', the doctor said: "No. They were fairly severe signs of assault, including fractures to bones.

"In this case the patient had broken ribs and he had bleeding within his abdomen.

"Dying at a young age because of physical assault I think sets the bar very low."

'They were fairly severe signs of assault, including fractures to bones'

Last week, the strain on law in Israel was exposed when right wing protesters stormed a detention centre, demanding the release of guards arrested on suspicion of raping a male detainee.

Included within the mob were Knesset members, one of whom declared that the guards deserved immunity regardless of their actions.

The development epitomises war-time Israel, where criticising the treatment of Palestinian prisoners is risky for any Israeli.

The doctor said: "I think it's honestly scary to speak out and discuss my opinion freely.

"So I'd rather do it just because I believe it's important, but the consequences of doing that might be severe today."

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