Israel returns to Gaza body of Palestinian who died under unclear circumstances in IDF custody in 2023

The Red Cross announces that it has facilitated the return of the body of a Palestinian from Gaza who died in IDF custody in unclear circumstances a week after October 7, 2023.

The return of Rajaa Samour’s body followed a legal battle waged by his family with the assistance of the Israeli human rights organization Gisha.

According to Gisha, which advocates on behalf of Gazans, Samour, a father of four, had worked in Israel with a permit for about a year and a half before the October 7 onslaught. He was subsequently detained as part of a wave of arrests of Gazans who were in Israel at the time.

He died under unknown circumstances days after his arrest. His family was never officially notified of his death and learned of it from other Palestinians who had been detained alongside him and who were later released back to Gaza.

The family petitioned the High Court of Justice through Gisha in February 2026. During the proceedings, it emerged that the state had opened a Military Police investigation into the circumstances of his death, but the investigation has not been completed and no findings have been made public.