Another Palestinian detainee dies in solitary confinement in Israeli prison

A Palestinian detainee died on Tuesday while being held in solitary confinement in an Israeli jail, the latest in a series of deaths of Palestinian prisoners in Israel’s military prisons.

31 year old Nassar Majed Taqatqa, who had been held in Nitzan prison in Ramle, central Israel, was declared dead early Tuesday morning, Qadri Abu Bakr, head of the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs, told Al Jazeera.

Israeli authorities claimed that Taqtaqa died of a stroke, but Abu Bakr said his death was linked to the dire conditions in Israeli jails.

Israeli forces detained Taqatqa about a month ago after raiding his family home in the town of Beit Fajjar, south of the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.

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Taqatqa was transferred to the Israeli prison of al-Jalameh for interrogation and later was put in solitary confinement in Nitzan prison, where he died.

Israeli forces reportedly brought Taqatqa handcuffed to his family house about two weeks ago to search it. He was severely beaten before taking him back to prison.

Reports revealed that after Taqatqa’s death the number of Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since 1967 now stands at 220.

However, there are currently approximately 5,500 Palestinians in Israeli jails, according to official data from the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs and the PPC.

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