12 Prison Guards Indicted in Death of Palestinian Prisoner at Ketziot

Israeli prosecutors have indicted 12 prison service employees for causing the death of security prisoner Thaer Abu Asab through negligence and for assaulting eight other inmates at Ketziot Prison in November 2023. The indictment, filed by Southern District Prosecutor's Office attorney Tal Cohen Adir, details that the accused included a shift commander, guards, members of the "Katar" unit, and a dog handler.

On November 18, 2023, Abu Asab inquired about a "hudna," or ceasefire, during the ongoing war. This prompted the shift commander to order guards into the prisoners' cell during the evening count, explicitly to show the inmates there was no ceasefire. The commander stated he would take responsibility for any consequences and warned female guards present not to enter the cell to avoid harm.

Once inside, the guards, allegedly agreeing beforehand to assault the prisoners, attacked them with punches, kicks, and batons. The shift commander supervised the assault and reportedly struck at least one prisoner himself. After several minutes, the commander ordered the guards to stop. They exited the cell without reporting the incident.

Shortly after, Abu Asab collapsed and lost consciousness. He was transferred to the prison clinic and then to Soroka Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The indictment states his death resulted from the blows, causing severe damage to his heart and respiratory system. The other eight prisoners sustained actual injuries.

In a separate indictment, the shift commander and a sergeant are accused of incitement during the investigation. The sergeant allegedly instructed a guard to lie about the use of batons, while the shift commander reportedly asked a guard to coordinate her testimony with other defendants. Initially, the guard provided a false account but later confessed to lying and gave her true testimony.

All defendants face charges including causing death by negligence, aggravated serious injury, and multiple counts of aggravated actual injury. The shift commander and sergeant also face an additional charge of attempting to influence the investigation.