Longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israeli custody passes away after 38 years

Walid Daqqa, a Palestinian citizen of Israel from Baqa al-Gharbiyye, passed away at the age of 63 after spending nearly forty years in Israeli prison due to cancer. His case was extraordinary as he held the record for being the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israel at the time of his death. According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society, he also had the second longest sentence served overall. Daqqa was among the few Palestinian inmates who remained in custody even before the Oslo Accords, a series of agreements between Israel and Palestinians in the 1990s that led to the release of some Palestinian prisoners.

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A spokesperson for the Israel Prison Service announced on Monday the death of Daqqa. They stated that his death will be thoroughly investigated, as is protocol for any similar events.

In Israel, Daqqa was labeled as a terrorist for his involvement in the killing of a soldier. However, to many Palestinians, he represented their fight for freedom from Israel.

He was arrested in March 1986 and given a life sentence by an Israeli court for leading the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) militant group. The group was responsible for kidnapping and killing Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam in 1984, as reported by Amnesty International. Despite denying the accusations, Daqqa was convicted of commanding the group, not for carrying out the murder.

In 2012, Israel reduced his sentence to 37 years, which he completed in 2023. He was then charged by an Israeli court with smuggling mobile phones to prisoners, and was given an added sentence of two years, according to the Palestinian Commission of Detainee Affairs. He died before his scheduled release date of March 24, 2025.

The Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners Society, based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said in a statement that during his detention, Daqqa “faced the policies of torture, assault, deprivation and isolation, in addition to successive medical crimes.”

CNN has reached out to Israel Prison Service for comment on the allegations.

Rare form of cancer

Daqqa's health worsened while he was in prison. In 2015, he was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease after experiencing multiple health issues, as reported by Addameer, a prisoner support and human rights organization in the West Bank. Then, in 2022, he was diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare type of bone marrow cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

FILE - Palestinian Khader Adnan, center, is greeted by Palestinians after his release from an Israeli prison in the West Bank village of Arrabeh near Jenin, Sunday, July 12, 2015. Palestinian prisoner Adnan died in Israeli custody early Tuesday, May 2, 2023, after a hunger strike of nearly three months, Israel's prison service announced. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed, File)

Palestinian Khader Adnan was welcomed by his fellow Palestinians upon his release from an Israeli prison in the West Bank village of Arrabeh near Jenin on Sunday, July 12, 2015. Adnan, a Palestinian prisoner, sadly passed away in Israeli custody early Tuesday, May 2, 2023, after engaging in a hunger strike that lasted for almost three months. This announcement was made by Israel's prison service. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed, File)

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In 2023, Amnesty urged Israel to free Daqqa so he could get the medical care he needed.

While in prison, Daqqa wrote several books and obtained two degrees in 2010 and 2016. Amnesty praised his writings as a form of resistance against the dehumanization of Palestinian detainees.

The number of Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since 1967 has reached 251, starting from the beginning of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, as reported by the Palestinian Commission of Detainee Affairs.

Following his death, a tent was set up in Baqa al-Gharbiyye on Monday for mourners to gather. However, Israeli police stormed the tent, according to a statement from the Palestinian Prisoners Society and a CNN video.

Israeli police stated that they intervened in the gathering that occurred without permission, as reported by CNN. Five individuals were arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers.

Amnesty International urged Israeli authorities to release Daqqa's body to his family for a respectful burial and to allow them to grieve without fear, according to Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International's Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy, and Campaigns.

Upon hearing about Daqqa’s death, the Israeli soldier's niece, Ortal Tamam, shared on X on Monday: “We worked tirelessly to keep him in prison, and every moment of our fight was worth it.”

CNN’s Benjamin Brown, Avery Schmitz, and Nadeen Ebrahim helped with the reporting.

Editor's P/S:

The death of Walid Daqqa, the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israel, has sparked a range of emotions and ignited discussions about the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Daqqa's story highlights the human toll of prolonged imprisonment, particularly for those held without trial or convicted on questionable charges. His case also raises concerns about the treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody, as evidenced by allegations of torture, isolation, and medical neglect.

Daqqa's death comes amidst ongoing tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. While some Israelis view him as a terrorist responsible for the killing of an Israeli soldier, many Palestinians regard him as a symbol of their resistance against Israeli occupation. His passing serves as a reminder of the need for reconciliation and a just resolution to the conflict, one that respects the rights and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians.