They were forced to hand one son over to the Israeli army in return for another. Eight months later he was dead in prison
They were forced to hand one son over to the Israeli army in return for another. Eight months later he was dead in prison
The loss of Ahmad Tazaza has left his parents overwhelmed by sorrow and remorse, as they mourn their son’s death in Israel’s infamous Megiddo prison last August.
Ahmad, a 20-year-old with no prior medical issues, was surrendered to Israeli authorities in January 2025 in the occupied West Bank. His family claims they were never told why their youngest of three sons was targeted, yet his ordeal mirrored the fate of many young Palestinians.
“They smashed the house and destroyed everything,” said Najah Abdul Qader, Ahmad’s mother. “He was not at home; he was working at the market and slept there that night. They took his brother and father. In the morning, they released them and said, ‘We want him.'”
Months of pressure on the Tazaza household in Qabatiya, a northern West Bank town, saw Israeli security forces repeatedly raid their home in search of Ahmad. The family endured threats and intimidation during this time.
In a later call, Qader recounted an Israeli soldier’s warning: “If Ahmad doesn’t hand himself in, we’ll bomb your house.” He had narrowly avoided capture before, leaping from a vehicle as it was crushed by a bulldozer.
The Israeli forces eventually detained his brother again, prompting the parents to make a desperate trade. Saeed Tazaza, Ahmad’s father, described the moment with tears: “They said: ‘We will not release him until you bring your other son.’ His brother is married with two children. So we caught Ahmad and gave him up.”
Accompanied by their other son, the family delivered Ahmad to the Salem checkpoint near Jenin. “We handed him over,” Qader recalled. “He looked at us, and I knew he would not return. I felt he was not coming back when he turned his face and walked away.”
Initially, the parents believed they had spared Ahmad by handing him over. “I gave my son to death with my own hands,” Qader said. “I handed him to my enemy. But that’s what we had to do to save him.”
His father echoed this sentiment: “We were forced, and we handed him over. What could we do? This is our fate.”
“He said to me, ‘Mum, they torture people in prison.’ I told him, ‘Let them torture you, but not kill you, not shoot you.’ Today in the street they shoot a person who has done nothing,” Qader added.
Ahmad died at 21 in Megiddo prison on 3 August 2025, according to a post-mortem report shared with Middle East Eye. The document, dated 8 August, was authored by a doctor affiliated with Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), which monitors autopsies of Palestinian prisoners with Israeli permission.
The report noted that Ahmad was “reported to be healthy” at the time of his arrest. His prison records listed symptoms like diarrhea and scabies, with a sore throat mentioned days before his death. On 2 August, an on-call physician observed blood stains on his trousers.
“During the clinic visit, Mr Tazaza requested to go to the toilet and later collapsed to the floor, losing consciousness and vital signs. Resuscitation attempts were initiated, but despite intubation and CPR, he was pronounced dead,” the report stated.
It also suggested possible signs of a severe blood cancer, such as acute leukaemia or aggressive lymphoma, dismissing “sudden death causes.” However, the parents dispute this account, as they have not yet seen Ahmad’s body, which remains in Israeli custody.
Throughout his eight months in detention, the family had limited contact with him, relying on updates from other prisoners released after their own arrests. They learned of his death through an International Committee of the Red Cross liaison officer, though the ICRCHas not been allowed access to Palestinians in custody to verify the details.
