24/3/2025

10/2025

ICHR Condemns the Killing of Child Walid Khaled Ahmad and Holds the Occupation Authorities Fully Responsible

The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) holds the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the death of 17-year-old Walid Khaled Ahmad from the town of Silwad, who died while being detained in "Majiddo" prison following his arrest on September 30, 2024. The occupation authorities have yet to disclose the circumstances of his death, which is considered a new crime added to the record of severe violations against Palestinian detainees, particularly children, who are held in harsh and inhumane conditions that violate international laws.

Since October 7, 2023, the occupation authorities have escalated arbitrary arrests against Palestinians, detaining tens of thousands, including a large number of children.

The detainees face severe violations, including torture, ill-treatment, and denial of food and medical care, leading to the death of 63 identified prisoners, at least 40 of whom were from the Gaza Strip, amid a continuing policy of enforced disappearance.

The ICHR warns of the worsening conditions inside the occupation prisons and the increasing number of deaths among detainees due to a systematic retaliatory policy aimed at oppressing them and extracting confessions by force. The ICHR emphasizes that the detention and torture of Palestinian children constitute a blatant violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and international humanitarian law, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ICHR calls for the formation of an independent international investigation committee to examine the circumstances of Walid's death and the deaths of other prisoners in Israeli prisons, and to address the violations comprehensively. It also urges the United Nations, the international community, and child human rights organizations to assume their ethical and legal responsibilities, pressuring the occupation authorities to cease these crimes and ensure genuine accountability for those involved.