PA accuses Israel of ‘slow execution’ of Palestinian prisoner who died a week after release

The Palestinian Authority’s agency for prisoners accuses Israel of the “slow execution” of a 67-year-old man who reportedly died earlier today, a week after his release from Israeli detention.

According to the PA agency, Khaled al-Saifi, from the Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem in the West Bank, was released from the Ayalon Prison in Ramleh “in very critical condition,” following two inoculations he received toward the end of his four-month administrative detention, a controversial practice whereby Palestinian security detainees can be held for months without charge.

The Israel Prison Service does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

#عاجل | استشهاد الأسير المحرر خالد الصيفي، من مخيم الدهيشة في بيت لحم، بعد أسبوع من الإفراج عنه من سجون الاحتلال بحالة صحية صعبة. pic.twitter.com/BQvY9X1Jp9

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) February 2, 2026

The agency says al-Saifi was originally held at the Ofer Prison, and was transferred to Ayalon when his medical condition deteriorated, following two inoculations he received from prison authorities.

The first, which was “claimed to be a flu shot,” caused a severe infection, and the second shot only made his condition worse, at which point, prison authorities set him free, the agency claims.

It does not say what the second inoculation was, when the inoculations took place, or how far apart they were.

In a separate statement, the agency indicates al-Saifi had a pre-existing medical condition. It says he was twice administratively detained during the war in Gaza “despite his old age and need for medical attention.”