Ramallah – 12th August 2026: The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms ("MADA") strongly condemns the death of journalist EHAB MOHAMMAD DIAB (36 years old) inside Israeli occupation prisons, after more than two and a half years of detention and enforced disappearance, a crime that reflects the gravity of the conditions faced by detained Palestinian journalists, accompanied by torture, medical neglect, and grave violations of their fundamental rights.
Israeli occupation forces had arrested journalist EHAB DIAB during the ground operation in Gaza City in December 2023, about two months after the outbreak of the war, and his fate remained unknown throughout his detention period, before his death inside the prison was announced. Statements from human rights organizations and institutions concerned with prisoners' affairs indicate that he died as a result of torture and medical neglect, despite being in good health prior to his arrest, while the occupation continues to hold his body and refuses to hand it over to his family.
The late DIAB held a bachelor's degree in Arabic Language and Media from the Department of Journalism at Al-Azhar University. After graduating, he joined a media production company in Gaza, then worked as a freelance journalist with a number of news websites and networks, contributing through his work to covering and documenting events from the Gaza Strip.
MADA considers that DIAB's death inside occupation prisons, in light of reports of his exposure to torture and medical neglect, constitutes a serious violation of human rights and of the guarantees afforded to detainees under international law, and also raises serious concerns regarding the conditions of detained Palestinian journalists and their circumstances of detention.
MADA calls on the occupation authorities to fully disclose the circumstances of journalist EHAB DIAB's death, to hand over his body to his family, and to open an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his detention and death, including the reported torture and denial of medical care, and to hold accountable those responsible for any violations against him.
MADA also calls on the international community, United Nations bodies, and organizations concerned with press freedom and human rights, to assume their responsibilities regarding the violations faced by Palestinian journalists inside occupation prisons, to work toward ensuring their protection and disclosing the fate of detained journalists, to put an end to the policy of enforced disappearance, torture, and medical neglect, and to ensure respect for their rights in accordance with international law.
MADA affirms that the death of EHAB DIAB inside occupation prisons must not pass without investigation and accountability, and that the protection of journalists does not stop at ensuring their safety while carrying out their work, but also extends to protecting them from arbitrary arrest, torture, mistreatment, and denial of medical care.
