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 Handover

The Tazaza family in Qabatiya, a northern West Bank town, remains consumed by sorrow and remorse over the fate of their youngest son, Ahmad, who died in August 2025 at Megiddo prison. His parents say they delivered him to Israeli authorities in January of that year, hoping to secure his safety.

Ahmad, a 20-year-old with no prior health issues, was detained during a search of their home. Israeli security forces had repeatedly targeted their residence, subjecting them to threats and intimidation. His mother, Najah Abdul Qader, described the ordeal: “They smashed the house and destroyed everything. 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’.”

“An Israeli soldier had threatened to bomb the house if Ahmad did not surrender. He had already escaped once, jumping from a car as it was crushed by a bulldozer,” Qader recounted in a later call.

After failing to locate him, the Israeli forces detained his brother again. His father, Saeed Tazaza, recalled the exchange: “They said: ‘We will not release him until you bring your [other] son.’ His brother is married with two children. So we told Ahmad we wanted to see him. We caught him and took him.”

Medical Findings

Ahmad’s parents delivered him to the Salem checkpoint near Jenin, where he looked back at them before walking away. “He looked at us and I knew he would not return,” Qader said, expressing her fear that he was headed toward death.

The post-mortem report, dated August 8, revealed that Ahmad was described as “healthy” at detention. His medical records indicated he had been suffering from diarrhoea and scabies, with a sore throat noted days before his death. On August 2, he was seen by an on-call physician, who 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.

Autopsy findings suggested possible signs of a severe blood cancer, such as acute leukaemia or aggressive lymphoma. However, no evidence of “sudden death causes” was identified. Despite this, the family disputes the official account, as they have not seen Ahmad’s body, which is still held by Israeli authorities.

A Parents’ Dilemma

For months, the Tazaza family had been unable to visit Ahmad or communicate with him. Their information came secondhand, through released prisoners. They were told of his death by an International Committee of the Red Cross liaison officer, though the ICRChas not had access to Palestinians in the West Bank.

“I handed my son over because I was afraid for him. I was afraid he would die,” his father said. “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 reflected.

Now, the family regrets their decision, feeling they surrendered their son to death with their own hands. “I handed my son to my enemy,” Qader lamented. “But that’s it. We wanted to protect him.”