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
Ahmad Tazaza’s parents live with deep sorrow and regret after their son’s death in August 2025 at Israel’s Megiddo prison. The loss has left them questioning their choices, especially after they traded Ahmad for his brother’s freedom.
When the family surrendered Ahmad to Israeli authorities in January 2025, he was a 20-year-old with no prior health issues. His parents remained uncertain about the reasons for his detention, but their son’s fate mirrored that of countless other young Palestinians facing similar circumstances.
Israel’s prison system has detained over 10,465 Palestinian men as “security prisoners” by September 2025, with more than 7,425 held in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Ahmad was among those held without formal charges or trial, confined indefinitely under administrative detention.
The Tazaza family’s ordeal
Over months, Israeli security forces repeatedly raided the Tazaza home in Qabatiya, a northern West Bank town, searching for Ahmad. The family endured threats and intimidation, with the mother recalling how the house was ransacked, leaving nothing intact.
“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, then released them, saying, ‘We want him’.”
Later, an Israeli soldier warned of bombing the house if Ahmad did not surrender. The family had already narrowly avoided capture when he leapt from a car crushed by a bulldozer. After failing to locate him, the forces detained his brother again. Saeed Tazaza, Ahmad’s father, described the exchange with tears: “They said: ‘We will not release him until you bring your [other] son’.”
Ahmad’s parents, compelled by fear, handed him over at the Salem checkpoint near Jenin. “He looked at us and I knew he would not return,” Qader said. “He turned his face and walked away, as if toward his end.”
The post-mortem report
Ahmad’s death occurred on 3 August 2025, according to a post-mortem report reviewed by Middle East Eye. The document, dated 8 August, was authored by a PHRI doctor, a rights group that sends observers to monitor Palestinian prisoner autopsies when allowed by Israeli authorities.
The report noted Ahmad was “reported to be healthy” at the time of his arrest. His prison records mentioned mild ailments like diarrhoea and scabies, along with a sore throat days before his death. On 2 August, an on-call physician observed blood stains on his trousers before he collapsed during a bathroom visit, losing consciousness and vital signs.
“During the clinic visit, Mr Tazaza requested to go to the toilet and later collapsed to the floor, losing consciousness and vital signs,” the report stated. “Resuscitation attempts were initiated, but despite intubation and CPR, he was pronounced dead.”
The autopsy suggested possible signs of severe blood cancer, such as acute leukaemia or aggressive lymphoma. However, no evidence of sudden death causes was found. Despite this, Ahmad’s parents dispute the official account, as they have not seen his body and relied only on information from released prisoners.
“We handed him over because we feared for his life,” his father said. “We were forced to make the choice, and we did so hoping he would survive.”
His mother added, “He told me, ‘Mum, they torture people in prison.’ I said, ‘Let them torture you, but not kill you, not shoot you.’ Today, they shoot people in the street who have done nothing.”
While the report attempts to explain his death, the family feels they delivered him to death with their own hands, believing they were protecting him from a greater peril. “I handed my son to my enemy,” Qader said. “But that’s our fate.”
