An Israeli judge has closed the investigation into the death of a Palestinian teenager in an Israeli prison, ruling that although the boy was clearly starved, the cause of death could not be determined. The decision, unsealed by Haaretz, sheds light on the case of 17-year-old Walid Ahmad, the first Palestinian under 18 to die in Israeli detention, according to Palestinian officials.
Ahmad, described by his family as healthy, was arrested in September 2024 for allegedly throwing stones at soldiers and spent six months in Megiddo prison before collapsing in March 2025. An autopsy report by Israeli doctor Daniel Solomon indicated starvation as the likely cause of death, along with signs of colitis and scabies. However, Judge Ehud Kaplan ruled that the evidence did not prove a causal link between starvation and death, stating, “The fact that he was apparently starved cannot be hidden… but I cannot determine that the death was caused by a crime.”
The case has highlighted conditions for Palestinian detainees, especially minors, in Israeli prisons. Rights groups have documented widespread abuse since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, including inadequate food and water, beatings, overcrowding, and poor sanitation. As of September 2024, Israel’s Prison Service held 350 Palestinian minors on security grounds, according to B’Tselem.
Ahmad’s father, Khalid, said his son’s body remains held by Israeli authorities, and the family is petitioning for its return. “What is happening in Israeli prisons is a real tragedy, as there is no value for life,” he told the Associated Press in April 2025.
