Palestinian Prisoner Martyrs 1987–2000 | Deaths in Occupation Prisons in the First Intifada and After Oslo

When the First Intifada erupted in December 1987, the Zionist occupation opened mass detention camps in the desert and in army bases, threw thousands of Palestinians into them, and gave interrogators and guards a free hand. The list of martyrs of the prisoner movement records 50 martyrs between 1988 and 1998: 41 fell in the Intifada years before the Oslo accords, and 9 after. No martyrs are recorded for 1994 or 1999. ^[1][2]

This article is part of Palestinuna’s series on “The martyrs of the prisoner movement” and includes a table of all the martyrs of this period.

Contents

1. In numbers
2. The Intifada camps and the bullets
3. Torture: the leading cause
4. Medical neglect and the 1992 strike
5. After Oslo: the torture goes on
6. The full list
7. Between the accounts
8. Timeline
9. Frequently asked questions about prisoner martyrs 1987–2000

In numbers

^[1]

The Intifada camps and the bullets

1988 was the deadliest year, with 12 prisoners killed. On 16 August 1988 guards at the Ansar 3 camp in the Negev desert opened fire on the prisoners, killing Asaad al-Shawa of Shujaiyya and Bassam al-Samoudi of al-Yamoun. Shootings inside the camps continued: Nidal Deeb in Megiddo in 1989, Abdullah Abu Mahrouqa in Ansar 2 the same year, Sabri Abd Rabbo of al-Jib in Ofer in 1990, and Musa Abd al-Rahman of Nuba in 1992. ^[1]

In Ansar 3 itself Hussam Qar’an of Qalqilya died in 1990 after a gas attack and torture, and Muhammad al-Reefi died of medical neglect; in Kfar Yona prison Muhammad Hammad of Silwad died after inhaling gas and being left untreated. ^[1]

Torture: the leading cause

Twenty-seven of this period’s martyrs – more than half – died of torture. Many fell in the cells of Gaza prison, such as Jamal Abu Sharkh and Khaled al-Sheikh Ali in December 1989 and Atiyya al-Za’anin in 1990, and in the cells of al-Moscobiya in Jerusalem, such as Nabil Ibdah of Beit Hanina in 1988. ^[1][3]

On 4 February 1992 Mustafa al-Akkawi of Jerusalem died under torture in Hebron prison, where 3 martyrs fell in this period. Death did not always come inside the cell: Abdullah Alawneh of Jenin died three days after his release in 1990, and Samir Omar of al-Shati camp died days after being moved from prison to hospital in 1992. ^[1][3]

Medical neglect and the 1992 strike

Among the most prominent martyrs of medical neglect in this period was Omar al-Qasim of Jerusalem, who died in Ashkelon prison on 4 June 1989, a prisoner since 1969. ^[1][3]

On 27 September 1992 the first open-ended hunger strike joined by all the occupation’s prisons began, lasting 15 days. During it Hussein Obeidat of Jerusalem died in Ashkelon prison. ^[4][5][1]

After Oslo: the torture goes on

The Oslo accords did not stop the killing of prisoners. Of the 9 martyrs who fell after them up to 1998, 6 died of torture or its effects. On 25 April 1995 Abd al-Samad Hreizat of Yatta died in al-Moscobiya and Ma’zouz Dallal of Nablus in Assaf Harofeh hospital, both of torture. In 1996 Walid al-Sarouji of Tulkarm was killed by torture after his arrest, and Majed Daghlas of Burqin died right after his release. ^[1]

Al-Moscobiya went on claiming prisoners: Khaled Abu Diya of Bethlehem in 1997 and Nidal Abu Srour of Aida camp in January 1998. The last martyr of the period was Yusuf al-Arair of Shujaiyya, who died in Ramla prison in June 1998 after medical neglect despite suffering from several illnesses. ^[1][3]

The full list

The table lists the martyrs of the prisoner movement between 1988 and 1998 in order of date of martyrdom (day/month/year), as given in Abdel Naser Farwana’s list and checked against the WAFA information centre’s list. ^[1][2]

Between the accounts

Hussein Obeidat: Farwana’s list dates his martyrdom to 4 October 1992, Noon Post to 14 October 1992. ^[1][5]

Ibrahim al-Ra’i: 11 April 1988 in Farwana’s list, and 4 November 1988 in Diwan al-Arab. Farwana’s list says he was tortured in the Ramla isolation cells and then executed. ^[1][3]

Number and order: the order of names and dates differs between the WAFA and Farwana lists in places; we have followed Farwana’s, which clearly ties each name to its date and cause. ^[1][2]

Timeline

Frequently asked questions about prisoner martyrs 1987–2000

How many prisoners died between 1988 and 1998?

50 martyrs, 41 before the Oslo accords and 9 after. ^[1]

What was the most common cause?

Torture, which killed 27 prisoners. ^[1]

What was the Ansar 3 camp?

A mass detention camp in the Negev desert, where guards opened fire on prisoners on 16 August 1988, killing two. ^[1]

Did the killing of prisoners stop after Oslo?

No: 9 prisoners died after it up to 1998, 6 of them from torture or its effects. ^[1]

Sources and references

1. Abdel Naser Awni Farwana, “List of martyrs of the national prisoner movement,” Palestine Behind Bars, updated to 15 May 2023 (in Arabic).
2. Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) Info Centre, “Martyrs of the national prisoner movement in Israeli prisons and detention camps” (in Arabic).
3. Diwan al-Arab, “From the martyrs of the national prisoner movement,” 11 April 2003 (in Arabic).
4. Al Jazeera Encyclopedia, “The Palestinian prisoner movement: structures uniting prisoners against the occupation’s jailer,” 25 January 2025 (in Arabic).
5. Noon Post, on the hunger-strike martyrs of the occupation’s prisons (in Arabic).